


All Play and No Work

by hoye



Category: Bleach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 22:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17434823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoye/pseuds/hoye
Summary: The Vizard enroll in Karakura High School at the beginning of the year when Kurosaki Ichigo becomes a first year.This is how they spend their time prior to confronting Kurosaki Ichigo.





	1. Prelude.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever writing fan fiction and my first time writing anything that I've posted for others to read. I was really motivated to write this because I really like Shinji, but don't get to read a lot of things about the Vizard that I'd like to read. So this is me trying to write something I'd like to read about them. 
> 
> I hope you can enjoy this and if anyone would like to give me comments/suggestions, I would really appreciate that!
> 
> I really do hope this work will get better as I keep writing :-)

Eight people, diverse in shape, size, and color, lounged about in an abandoned warehouse, that was surprisingly well-furnished and tastefully decorated.

A man, with his lanky body spread across a plump velvet couch, lazily spun a newsboy cap on the end of a slender finger.

“Whaddya think we should do?” he muses, glancing humorlessly at his seven companions. A loud voice responds immediately.

“We ain’t responsible for this mess!”

“Shut up, Hiyori.” The man responds flatly.

“Make me, baldy!!” Hiyori fumes.

“This kid is basically going to be fucked for life. You remember that night, Shinji. We wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Urahara. Gods, can you imagine if we went through that alone?” A man with short, grey hair and several piercings shook his head in disbelief as he spoke. The cap-spinner, Shinji, grimaces.

“Kensei, I’m sure we all remember that shit show, but does that mean we’re gonna get involved this time?”

“Shin-chan’s right! You never know! Maybe he’ll be totally okay!” cheered an overly-energetic, green-haired woman. She was sprawled on her stomach on the floor close to the grey-haired man, kicking her legs back and forth. Everyone exchanges glances at that comment and the girl dressed in a sailor uniform snaps her book shut.

“Mashiro, do you really think some human-hollow hybrid is going to just be ‘totally okay’?” she says, expressionless and eyes unreadable behind a pair of glasses.

“I don’t know, I’m just saying it’s possible,” Mashiro pouts, “At least I’m trying! Lisa, you’ve been reading that new porn magazine since we started having this conversation, Rose and Love are totally ignoring us and Hachi isn’t helping either!”

Rose and Love shrug nonchalantly and Hachi’s eyebrows furrow in a way that makes him look nervous.

\-----------------

It was all because of a phone call that the Vizard were having this unofficial meeting to begin with. The loud ring had echoed throughout the warehouse two hours earlier, and everyone had argued about who should pick it up. In the end, Hirako Shinji answered (was forced to answer) and was not surprised to hear the fake cheer of Urahara Kisuke’s voice on the other end. After all, it was unlikely that anyone else knew the number for the phone, them being on the run and all. He almost hung up on him too, already aware that there was no good reason for which Urahara could be calling – it meant he needed something and Shinji was reluctant to agree to anything after the last weird request.

Not to say that he and the other Vizard didn’t owe the man. They definitely did – like Kensei was saying earlier, they wouldn’t be here, as dismal as here could be, without Urahara’s help. But they definitely didn’t trust the man and years of exile had beaten that nervous and awkward edge out of his demeanor, leaving Shinji uncertain of his true intentions. Which greatly bothered him, but he didn’t let it show. He rarely let anything show anymore. Anything genuine at least.

“Whaddya want, Kisuke,” Shinji asked, cutting off Urahara’s meaningless ramble about the quality of his shop’s sweets this year.

“Why, Hirako-san, I didn’t realize we were so close! I must say this is completely unexpected – oh, I must write this down in my calender!”

“I’m hangin’ up.”

“There’s been a situation,” Urahara responds immediately, over-the-top cheer completely gone. “An Aizen-related situation.”

Shinji bristled, a frown erupting on his face. The other Vizard noticed the change from irritation to concern – it must be something pretty big if Shinji was showing genuine emotion over it. They stopped what they were doing and did their best to eavesdrop, some more subtly than others.

“The hell ya mean! Explain. Now.” 

There was silence on the other end, that went on just a little too long.

“Kisuke, I’m fuckin’ serious, explain now ‘fore I come over there and kick yer ass.”

“A Hollow,” Urahara started, “appeared in Karakura Town and was taken down by the combined efforts of the current captain of the Tenth and a pureblood Quincy.”

“What the fuck does this have to do with Aizen.” The other Vizard reacted violently to the name, and Shinji held up a hand to quiet them before they began an uproar.

“The Hollow was one of Aizen’s experiments; it was different from regular Hollows. And it contaminated the Quincy. The situation is complicated, but put simply, the Tenth captain has given up his Shinigami powers and will remain indefinitely with the Quincy girl.”

“I’m gettin’ annoyed, Kisuke, hurry the fuck up! I don’t see what the issue is.”

“They’re having a kid. It will most likely also be contaminated by the Hollow the mother has in her,” Urahara said easily, as if he were chatting about the same drivel he had introduced at the beginning of the call. Shinji, however, sucked in a loud breath and pushed back his bangs.

“Are ya tellin’ me,” Shinji spat, through clenched teeth, “this kid is gonna have an inner Hollow from birth?! How the heck did they even have the time ta – er, um - create this kid so soon?”

“The Hollow contamination was actually a couple years ago.”

“What the hell are ya talkin’ about? Why didn’t ya let us know earlier!”

“It was irrelevant at the time. The situation had been dealt with and although it was Aizen’s botched experiment, Aizen himself hadn’t been found.”

“Then why are ya lettin’ us know now,” the blond-haired Vizard spoke evenly, despite his white-knuckled fist holding the receiver.

“Because that kid is going to need help,” Urahara spoke softly now, a solemn note of sincerity carrying through his words. 

“And ya figured we were right for the job.”

“That’s the idea!” Urahara chirped. Shinji was tempted to shunpo all the way to Karakura just to beat the crap out of him. He glanced up for the first time, noticing the various expressions on his comrades’ faces – this was not something he could decide on his own.

“We’ll hafta think about it, Kisuke.”

“That’s all I could ask for, Shinji. Thank you.”

The phone call ended.

And now here they sat, contemplating the risks of taking in a complete stranger. Stranger was the least of their issues – would the kid be a human? A Quincy? What would happen with the father’s Shinigami genes on this kid? And on top of this dumpster fire, a Hollow? Would this child even be mentally equipped to handle this mess from birth? Maybe it wouldn’t even make it past infancy. They had argued and discussed and worried over the situation for over an hour now with very little to show for it.

Shinji finally sat up from his position on the couch, stretching his arms overhead while yawning widely. 

“We’ve got time ta decide, baby hasn’t even been born yet. We can jus’ have a vote once we figure out if the kid’s even gonna’ make it.”

The seven others exchanged looks before nodding in agreement – this situation would be dealt with another time.


	2. Decisions, Decisions.

A week before Kurosaki Ichigo began his first year of high school on April 1st, the Vizard relocated to another abandoned warehouse in Karakura Town. 

“Why are we always hanging out in warehouses…why don’t we just rent a house or something at this point?” Kensei asked, a small note of irritation carrying in his voice.

“We’re not made of money. Besides, it’s easier the less we interact with humans,” Love replied, while Rose and Lisa make themselves at home in their new warehouse, sitting propped against some rubble. Lisa pulls out the latest edition of her favorite manga and Rose begins to pluck at his guitar.

Hachi starts placing barriers around the warehouse, slowly working up a sweat as he ensures no troublesome visitors might stumble upon the hideout.

“Are ya kiddin’ me?! Then what are we even doin’ here?!” Hiyori jumps on the chance to complain.

“Jus’ in case,” Shinji said.

\-----------------

The Kurosaki’s first child, born 15 years ago, had had monstrous spiritual pressure, but no other abnormalities – at least, according to Kisuke. “Just a happy, healthy human,” Kisuke informed the Vizard over the phone matter-of-factly, but just a bit too cheerfully, “No Hollow to speak of.”

The Vizard had argued (again) whether they should bother trusting what the tricky bastard had told them, with various degrees of interest and investment on the subject. Unsurprisingly, Hiyori was the most heated – she had the most difficult relationship with her inner Hollow and also stubbornly maintained her centuries-old disgust towards Kisuke, even though the other Vizard recognized the streak of grudgingly given respect in her words and actions. (Not that they could ever bring it up, lest they be subject to her Zanpakuto – or worse, her slippers.)

“We can’t just leave the kid alone – what if he kills someone? What if he’s unhinged?! We should just kill ‘im while we can!” 

“You idiot, we can’t just go around deciding death sentences – we’re in hiding,” Love replies. Rose was sitting nearby, tuning his guitar and humming something softly, laidback as ever.

The argument had trickled to an end as most of the Vizard remained true to their typical easygoing behavior, with only Hiyori showing extreme anger over the situation, which the others understood to be worry. Ultimately, they voted to stay out of the way, unless something urgent arose. The Kurosaki kid would grow up a human and stay that way.

If they were being honest though, they had all felt constantly uneasy after the birth of the should-be Vizard. No one mentioned it, but they lived the next fifteen years waiting for the damn phone to ring.

It hadn’t.

Which is why they had voted to move in the first place – not unanimously, but Hiyori was often at odds with the rest of the group on decisions like these, especially when they required more association with humans (and potentially Shinigami) than the Vizard had had in the past decades combined. But she was outvoted, mostly because Lisa, normally calm, collected, and detached regardless of the circumstances, had been the one to suggest playing babysitter. 

So, here they were, fixing up the rundown warehouse so they could live somewhat comfortably in Karakura, just to watch over the supposedly normal human kid.

\-----------------

“How are we going to do this?” Hachi brought up that evening. They had finally managed to sort through the junk left in the warehouse and tidy everything up the best they could. They were able to bring the furniture from their old home, thanks to Hachi’s skill with manipulating Kidou, so they were spread out on top of various sofas and chairs that dotted the warehouse floor while eating from takeout containers.

“I was thinking we could just take turns monitoring the kid. We figure out his daily schedule, who he normally interacts with, anything weird about him, but we maintain our distance.” 

“Kensei, are ya pullin’ my leg? Ya want us to stalk the kid?” Shinji barked, a good-natured grin spreading on his face, showing off his teeth.

“I’m all for it! Let’s be Berry-tan’s friends!” Mashiro cheered, looking up from her place next to Hachi.

“I don’t really care either way,” Rose replied, “Friends or stalkers, it might as well be the same thing to the kid at this point.”

“Rose has a point. If this kid, his family, or his friends notice any of us, we’re going to be in a worse situation for no reason.” Lisa adjusted her glasses while bringing a piece of chicken to her mouth. “The way I see it, we should just enroll in his school and watch him without raising any suspicion.” There was a gleam in her eye and Love rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“Lisa just wants to wear a real uniform,” he snorted, ignoring how the chopsticks Lisa had just been holding whacked his head not a moment later.

“Honestly, it isn’t the worst idea. Why not have fun given the chance?” Rose asked nonchalantly, while seven pairs of eyes turned and stared at him.

“Rose, have ya lost yer mind?” Shinji gaped. “How would human school even be fun?”

“We’ve been in hiding for years. A century, in fact. This is an opportunity that provides us with a change of pace for the very first time since we’ve left Soul Society and we’re hesitating to take it. Why not?” Rose continued.

Hiyori, who had been strangely silent throughout the conversation, spoke up, a muted anger burning in her words. “I hate humans.”

The atmosphere turned solemn, as each of the Vizard considered Hiyori’s words. It wasn’t like any of them were particularly fond of humans, but they had adjusted better than Hiyori had. At least, they had on the outside for the most part. 

Rose and Love had always been fairly easy-going, even if they were fierce and unrelenting in battle. Love, in particular, preferred to avoid bloodshed and fighting even during his captain days, so he wasn’t all too bothered. 

Similarly, Hachi’s gentle and friendly nature prevented him from being too upset with what had happened. He had simply accepted it, and if he had mourned or moped, he had done it in solitude.

Mashiro, while not easy-going like the other three, cared little about their predicament and was more focused on living an entertaining life, just as she had when she was a Lieutenant. 

On the other hand, Kensei had taken two and a half decades to come around, which had surprised most of the Vizard. They knew him to be a single-minded leader, who understood things pragmatically and functioned as such. But Kensei, who had been easily annoyed before, had been silent and mostly catatonic, though the severe expression on his face never left. 

Lisa, who had always been the silent-but-strong type, never expressed any issue with their exile and traitor status. She was the first to don human clothes and discuss trends from the Living World, slowly getting everyone else accustomed to their new life. Everyone was thankful for her, especially when she took Kensei to get his ears pierced when he was still adjusting. He returned with several piercings and short hair, and the moment Mashiro made a fuss over his appearance, he got annoyed with her. Needless to say, Lisa had helped keep them grounded despite their unfortunate circumstances.

It was Shinji who had taken it the worst, even though it was hard to tell. Shinji had been quite the tricky bastard himself back in the day, but was charismatic and got along well with most everyone (excluding Hiyori), even though he did hold them at a distance. On rare occasions, Shinji’s Cheshire-cat grin would be a real one and he’d laugh in such a way that the other captains and Shinigami that were around couldn’t help but smile. After their exile from Soul Society, Shinji hadn’t once grinned like he used to and he retreated mentally and emotionally, which the other Vizard hadn’t realized was possible until they watched it happen over the following decade. They weren’t sure he was actually okay, but Shinji was all fake grins and hard-to-read facades that made it difficult for them to discern whether he had actually moved on or was just pretending to.

“We’re not going for the humans,” Rose stressed, finally ending the silence that had settled over the group. “We’d be going to have a good time. We could actually go out and take walks, grocery shop, and see what new things the humans have been up to. God knows we could use the stress relief.”

Rose’s unexpected speech surprised the others, but slowly, they began to nod their heads and murmur in agreement. Lisa and Love began discussing new manga they might find while Hachi, Mashiro, and Kensei debated whether the humans had any new inventions since they last really interacted with that world.

“Whaddya say, Hiyori,” Shinji drawled, quieting the others. “Ya wanna actually have fun for once?”

The silence returned, this time less strained. 

“…..fine, Baldy!”

“Who are ya callin’ Baldy?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this story - it means a lot to me!
> 
> I've been trying to write this next part for several weeks, and it's been pretty slow, especially because I have to be in the right mood to write what I mean and feel good about. I'm hoping to post more regularly, but it really is just going to depend.
> 
> I'm also going to try really hard not to re-edit stuff once I've uploaded it, but there is a good chance that I might cave, go back, and edit wording and whatnot.
> 
> Let me know how you feel about this chapter :-)


	3. Babysitting.

So it had been decided: the Vizard would be attending human school under the guise of “here for a good time, not for a long time”. Everyone returned to their good moods (At least, as good of a mood as they were capable of experiencing. That is to say, Hiyori was still grumbling and only Mashiro, Love and Rose were smiling, but this was actually quite an impressive feat for the Vizard.)

A few minutes later, the “good” mood was interrupted by Hachi’s soft voice.

“Um…I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think I can fit in at school for humans.”

“He’s got a point,” Kensei said. “Hachi probably can’t even fit into the school physically. And honestly, I don’t think any of us look young enough to blend in with the humans other than…” Kensei trailed off there, but three pointed glances were thrown at Hiyori. Fortunately for those three glancers, Hiyori (and her slippers) had not noticed the implied commentary on her height/body/appearance.

“Yer right. Maybe we can just ship off Mashiro and Hiyori and the rest of us can actually take a break,” Shinji suggested.

“Whaddya mean ‘ship off’?!??” Hiyori shouted, now bothering to listen to the conversation. Mashiro, on the other hand, squealed and jumped up from where she was lying around.

Love responds first, not bothering to answer Hiyori’s outraged question, but pointing out that there was a pretty big issue with sending only Mashiro and Hiyori to mingle with humans. Hachi was unquestionably out of the picture, not due to appearance, but rather due to his abnormal-to-human sized body. Love also took himself and Rose out of the picture, claiming they probably looked too old to pass as the equivalent of human fifteen-year-olds (but Shinji and Kensei individually had suspicions that the two were simply hoping to laze about without any obligations). This left Lisa, Kensei and Shinji to babysit attend school with Hiyori and Mashiro.

“Why the HELL am I still bein’ included to go on this crappy mission!?!” Hiyori yelled at this point, fuming without actually intimidating anyone.

“Cause yer short, it jus’ makes sense,” Shinji snarked and immediately yelped after receiving a kick to the face. Hiyori continued to express her feelings about the situation and Shinji’s previous comment through a violent but uninterrupted attack on his face. The other Vizard were continuing their discussion in the meantime.

“I say Lisa goes,” Kensei says. “She’s responsible and she probably wants to go the most anyway.” Lisa doesn’t argue with that; she hadn’t volunteered herself or commented at all, but her eyes had glinted in such a way that Kensei couldn’t help but roll his own before recommending her. 

“Oi, we aren’t sending this, this, this dumpster fire of a group to hang out with humans! Are ya kiddin’ me, Kensei – Lisa, Mashiro, and Hiyori?! Lisa’s probably gonna spend all her time obsessing over manga and uniforms, who knows what Mashiro wants to destroy out there, and Hiyori is the least likely to do anything helpful there!” Shinji stabs a long finger at each person as he summarizes their shortcomings, none of whom respond (although Hiyori gestures with a finger of her own).

“Yeah, I’m with Shinji. This group is just a little too close to a suicide squad for my liking. That brings it down to you or Kensei, Shinji.” Upon hearing Love’s last comment, both Shinji and Kensei make eye contact and both rush to volunteer the other.

“I think Shinji would do really well in this task, I just feel like my appearance is going to clash and make trouble…”

At the same time: “Kensei’s really the right choice here, who else is responsible enough ta do it? Ya know I don’t do my work and…”

Hachi cut both of them off. “I think it’d be best if we sent Shinji with the others. Kensei’s right about his appearance, I think it is unusual for someone who looks like him to show up for school.”

Everyone glanced at the visible piercings and cropped silver hair and murmured in agreement. Shinji, however, was not having it.

“Ya can’t make me go, I’d rather die than spend all my time at school. I’m way too old for this shit,” Shinji complained. He continued to lament how old he was and how he too had a piercing so technically, he shouldn’t have to go either.

This time, it was Lisa who interrupted. 

“That’s a shame then, since there are so many interesting people at high school…” she trailed off, sneaking glances at the other members of the Vizard, who knew exactly where this was going. 

Shinji had always had the bad habit of saying anyone who caught his eye was “his first love”. Though they were never sure if Shinji even experienced any romantic or sexual feelings, the other Vizard assumed he got some kick out of being around people (perhaps, beings? Is a more accurate word) that he took a liking to. The Vizard couldn’t quite say “beings he found aesthetically pleasing”, because over the decades, the spirits, humans, and things he claimed were his first love varied greatly. In the end, after witnessing Shinji recount the story of how a particularly difficult to find jazz record was the first and last love of his life, the other seven agreed that Shinji – on the outside – was just a pervert of massive proportions and didn’t care to look further into the matter.

The other seven Vizard took to pointing out the different kinds of people that probably attended human high school, speculating that they may be very rare, wild, and unique creatures, unlike he’d ever seen before. It only took twenty-three minutes of wheedling before Shinji pretended he was doing everyone a very BIG favor by agreeing to babysit serve the disaster trio whilst they attended school, but the Vizard internally knew he had grown a bit eager to meet these strange and peculiar new people, particularly the “goths” Lisa had talked about.

So now, it had actually and finally been decided: Shinji, Lisa, Mashiro, and Hiyori would enroll in Karakura High School the next day, and begin school the next week on April 1st.

\-----------------

Shinji would never tell them, but he had actually wanted to go to high school. Not for the spectacularly weird people, as the Vizard thought, but because he was a touch worried for Lisa, Mashiro, and Hiyori. A century together had solidified the Vizard’s places in his heart, and he would never show it, but he couldn’t help but feel responsible for their circumstantial family group. The others looked to him, even without the ranks of Soul Society enforced upon them, and he recognized the way they held him in high regard, even if he was the butt of almost all jokes and verbal abuse. He knew what they thought of him, and he never stopped being a tricky bastard around them, but he wanted to ensure that they never looked at him differently from how they did now. 

The introduction of a potentially new Vizard (one of uncertain background no less) threatened the part of Shinji that had kept him grounded and stable for the last century. He would not allow anything to happen to the Vizard. He promised himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol so I stopped writing even though I said I would update more. oh well. hope you like it!


	4. Siblings.

It was a nice spring morning in Karakura Town. A mass of uniformed students made their ways to school reluctantly; it was too nice a day to be sitting in a classroom, but there was little they could do about the matter. After all, school was an obligation, not a choice.

Except it was a choice, for four bizarre-looking students standing in a back alley, five blocks away from Karakura High, bickering. More precisely, only two of them were bickering: the only guy and the short blonde.

“GOD DAMN IT DO WE REALLY HAFTA DO THIS?!” Hiyori hadn’t stopped complaining (or bitching as Shinji had put it) since they had left the warehouse this morning. The complaints had only gotten worse with each minor inconvenience: no Zanpakuto, no slippers, no track suit, and no Shunpo. Meaning they had walked from the warehouse to the back alley they were currently arguing in, all four of them dressed like regular high school students and completely vulnerable without their weapons.

“C’mon Hiyori! It’s gonna be so much fun!” Mashiro bounced lightly (at least by her standards) in place, eager to join the flow of high school students making their way to school. 

“We already made the decision. We have to go,” Lisa said simply, looking at Hiyori wrap her arms around Shinji’s neck in a choke-hold.

“She’s – she’s – she’s right,” Shinji gasped, struggling against Hiyori’s arms. She scowled at him before letting him loose, and now all four of them were silent, save for some coughing as Shinji started breathing again.

“Let’s go.” Lisa wasn’t asking permission or making a suggestion; she quickly turned from the group and walked out of the alley. Mashiro was quick to follow, skipping happily, while Hiyori grumbled and glowered. Shinji moved to follow them, but turned towards Hiyori and nodded his head in the direction of the school. 

“C’mon, shorty, yer gonna get left behind.”

He knew something was really wrong then, because Hiyori didn’t retort or move to strike him. She just started walking, a horrible expression on her face and her feet dragging, but moving nonetheless.

Shinji left the alley last and joined the other three Vizard waiting out on the street.

“Guess we’re really doin’ this,” he said, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Let’s get on with it then.”

And that is how the ex-Shinigami strode into Karakura High. Their uniforms were ruffled in such a way that suggested they had gotten dressed in a hurry (though it had actually been more of an issue related to not knowing how to wear the uniform - aside from Lisa, who was dressed immaculately). Each of them had different expressions: Shinji looked bored, Lisa looked expressionless, Mashiro could hardly keep still, and Hiyori looked like she did bite. And naturally, they attracted the attention of all the normal students milling about the school courtyard.

* * * 

“Do you think they’ll last very long?” Love mused out loud, lounging on one of the sofas they had brought to the new warehouse. 

Rose, a few feet away spread out on a lounge chair, shrugged nonchalantly. “I give them a week, considering they have Hiyori and Mashiro in tow.”

Hachi, seated just behind them on the floor, chuckled softly. “Should we make a bet?”

Love grins and even Rose smiles. “What’s on the table?”

Hachi thinks for a moment before smiling. “I’ll do your laundry for a month.”

(It should be noted that all of the Vizard are not fans of chores. Mostly because they were not used to doing them pre-exile. No captain/vice-captain of the Gotei 13 were doing their own laundry or making their own meals, after all. It was a god-given miracle that anything was clean in the warehouse at any given time.)

Both Rose and Love exchange looks before grinning. “Agreed,” Rose says. “Whoever guesses correctly won’t have to do laundry for a month; the other two will take turns when it’s the winner’s chore month.”

All three hummed agreeably, until Kensei walked into main floor of the warehouse with a scowl on his face. The other three Vizard murmured hello’s as Kensei stalked over toward them – they braced themselves for a scolding.

“I give them a year and a half,” Kensei says curtly. The other three raise their eyebrows. They would never have expected straight-laced Kensei to participate, but that didn’t mean they didn’t welcome it (particularly when chores were on the line and Kensei’s bet was outrageously and obviously wrong).

“A week,” Rose reiterated.

“Three weeks,” volunteered Love. “I think they will try to hold out.”

Hachi was the last to place a bet, having given it much thought, much more than the other three it would seem.

“I believe them capable of spending a year in school. They have, after all, spent a century in exile.”

With that, the Bet was made and each could not wait for the day when the others were proved wrong, mostly for laundry reasons.

* * * 

The exact moment the Bet had been finalized had been the moment that the other four Vizard had met Kurosaki Ichigo.

Well, “met” did not capture the correct sentiment of this peculiar first meeting. Perhaps it would be better to say that the other four Vizard began their intrusion on Ichigo’s life.

* * * 

After having entered the school grounds, the four Vizard stuck together as an unlikely and odd group of “friends”, so much so that the other students (who had attended school together since primary and didn’t recognize the newcomers) immediately began whispering. Which only served to get on the nerves of the very short(-tempered) Sarugaki Hiyori.

“What the fuck are ya lookin’ at?!” she spat out, glaring at anyone who had opened their mouths.

Mashiro pouted. “C’mon, Hiyori, we’re here to have fuuunnn!” 

Lisa also turned and stared at Hiyori. “We’re going to have a hard time blending in if you’re going to act this way.”

Hiyori sulked, but stopped spouting angry words. The other students continued whispering, but looked rather nervous and gave pointed glances at the testy blonde.

“Ya think it was a bad idea to let Mashiro keep her hair color?” Shinji drawled, walking hunched over across the school courtyard. His hands were stuck into pockets and his mouth was turned down into a grimace. His eyes glanced over at Mashiro’s bright green hair and goggle lenses (they hadn’t been able to remove them from her person, which had pissed Hiyori off incredibly, since she herself had to give up her entire ensemble).

Mashiro skipped along, ignoring Shinji’s comment. Lisa answered instead: “It’s not like you or Hiyori are doing much better in the hair color department.”

Shinji and Hiyori shared a look. It was true that they had maintained their natural colors as well, but it wasn’t like they had “unnatural” hair color by human standards.

“It doesn’t even matter!” Mashiro chirped. She pointed across the courtyard. “That kid has dyed hair too!”

“That kid” turned around, a scowl etched on his face. All four Vizard tensed, just a bit, because they could suddenly feel the kid’s spiritual pressure on top of them. 

Now, taking a moment to make this absolutely clear, the four Vizard did feel the kid’s spiritual pressure pressing down on them, but that was not to say it had any untoward effect on them. Hirako Shinji had been a captain of the Gotei in the past, and Yadoumaru Lisa, Kuna Mashiro, and Sarugaki Hiyori had been vice-captains, powerful in their own rights. Despite the kid’s monstrous (by human standards) spiritual pressure, it was completely fair to say that the Vizard could and would (if necessary) overpower and incapacitate him quite easily.

Obviously, this kid was Kurosaki Ichigo. He was tall and lean, with a mop of intensely orange hair atop his head. His entire face was pinched into an angry-looking scowl. The first thought Shinji had was to wonder whether the kid ever laughed or if he always looked like he had something stuck up his rear end. Lisa’s first thought was to wonder what kind of erotic manga Ichigo read as a teenage boy. On the other hand, Hiyori glanced at the boy and immediately regarded him as a baldy and a dumbass. Mashiro didn’t even see Ichigo for who he appeared to be – she saw a new toy. Despite how strange and diverse the thoughts running through each Vizard’s head were, they all somehow came to the same conclusion: the Vizard hadn’t actually made a plan regarding meeting the kid.

“It’s not dyed,” Ichigo growled, glowering at Mashiro. Before she could open her mouth and further irritate him with some over-the-top enthusiasm (as the Vizard were certain she would do), Shinji stepped in.

“She’s jus’ happy ta find a friend on the first day,” he grinned good-naturedly, while sticking out a hand. “Hirako Shinji, it’s good ta meet ya.” 

Ichigo regarded them suspiciously, the furrow in his brow becoming impossibly deeper. He didn’t shake Shinji’s hand.

“Kurosaki Ichigo. I’ve never seen you guys around before.”

Before he could say anymore, Shinji interrupted. “Ah, we jus’ moved ta the area, we’re new. Haven’t been here before!”

“Yea, we ain’t from around here,” Hiyori grouched afterward. Lisa shot her a look and Mashiro responded, “We’re here to have fun!”

“Do you all know each other?” Ichigo asked, the scowl a little less intimidating, but still apparent.

“Of course!” Mashiro babbled before anyone could stop her (specifically Shinji, who could see where Ichigo’s question was heading). “You could say we’re old friends, Berry-tan!”

Ichigo bristled at the nickname and his disappearing scowl returned, even stronger than before.

“That’s not what my name means!,” he snaps. “And how the hell did you ‘old friends’ transfer to the same school at the same time.”

“We’re siblings,” Lisa deadpanned. Shinji nearly slapped himself; gods above, this was a disaster and school hadn’t officially started yet!

“You don’t look related. Or even sound related,” Ichigo retorted.

“We’re adopted,” Shinji interjected quickly, shooting a murderous glance at the other three Vizard. “We’ve gotta’n eccentric benefactor who took all of us in when we were young.” Ichigo narrowed his eyes at that, and Shinji shrugged. He smiled in a way reminiscent of the Cheshire cat.

There was an uncomfortably long silence, where Ichigo openly stared at the clearly not-related "siblings". Shinji grew the tiniest bit nervous; they really should have planned better.

And as if their lives had transformed into some cliche teen drama, the Vizard were promptly saved by the bell.

“Whatever, it was …nice to meet you guys,” Ichigo said, beginning to walk away from them. “But I’ve got class, and so do you. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

The whole comment was said gruffly, as was everything Ichigo had said really, but the last comment in particular was said in such a way that it suggested Ichigo had no desire to run into these new students ever again.

The Vizard watched him stalk off to class. 

“That went well!” Mashiro said, meaning every word.

“Yea, ‘bout as well as a person who pisses off Unohana is gonna live,” Shinji hissed. “Lisa, the fuck were ya thinkin’, SIBLINGS?! We couldn’t pass as related even if we were ta dye our hair the same color.”

Lisa adjusted her glasses. “I had a momentary lapse in judgment after Mashiro so carelessly volunteered that we were old friends.”

“Ya all fucked up, the way I see it,” Hiyori grumbled. She wasn’t making a scene after Lisa had scolded her earlier, but there was a hint of satisfaction at how horribly the others had done when confronted with their target.

“What class are we even in,” Shinji asked, whipping his head around. The other students, who had been whispering about the new students and their incredibly stilted encounter with Kurosaki Ichigo, were making their way to class.

“It’s on the board,” a new voice interrupted. The four Vizard turned to face a naïvely smiling face. Framed with long orange hair that was parted by two clips, the face belonged to one Inoue Orihime. Not that the Vizard knew that.

She pointed at a board nearby. “What are your names? I can probably tell you which class you’re in! We’re not so big a school after all.”

“I’m Yadoumaru Lisa, she’s Sarugaki Hiyori, she’s Kuna Mashiro, and he’s Hirako Shinji.”

The girl smiled again. “Cool! It looks like Hirako-san will be in Class 1-3 with me! And the three of you will be in Class 1-2 just next door. I’m Inoue Orihime, by the way!”

The Vizard hadn’t anticipated being separated, just like they hadn’t anticipated meeting Ichigo on the first day. When it came down to it, it looked like they really were ill-prepared to infiltrate even high school, let alone the human world, but there was no longer time to deliberate and regret. 

“I guess that means we’ll be meetin’ later,” Shinji said. He faced them with an incredibly solemn expression and nodded at them. They nodded in return, even Hiyori, who was still not over the events of the day.

And the day was only getting started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :-)


	5. Deal?

Shinji was sitting in a school desk in the back corner of the classroom, closest to the windows. He should be grateful, really. Here, he could keep an eye on everyone in the class (particularly on one Kurosaki Ichigo, who sat three seats over and two rows ahead), while also observing everything happening outside through the windows. In other words, Shinji was in the best seat to not be paying any attention to the teacher, whenever they got here, which perfectly aligned with his plans to learn nothing while in school.

The students in 1-3 were still buzzing with excitement, chatting and laughing and complaining while they waited for the final bell to ring. Shinji glanced at their faces indifferently and inwardly groaned at some of the positively run-of-the-mill stories they shared with one another. These were hardly the weirdos Lisa had promised him, but he couldn’t really say much at this time. After all, Lisa, Mashiro, and Hiyori were next door, undoubtedly causing mayhem and he was, at the very least, in the same room as their target.

 He was absolutely certain that the moment Hiyori had walked into the adjacent classroom and realized that the kid was not in 1-2, she blew her fuse. He was so absolutely certain because earlier, he had heard a shout and felt an accompanying spike of Hollow-tinged reiatsu just after collapsing into the seat he was currently occupying. He grimaced then – the school building hadn’t exploded, so he assumed Lisa and Mashiro had intervened, but he really wasn’t certain how long this unsteady calm would last, especially since they had all shoved Hiyori outside her comfort zone.

Thinking about it, the Vizard had really jumped into this plan halfheartedly. They had had no plan about how to interact with Kurosaki, no plan for staying within range (hence the majority of their little group being sent to another class) and literally no idea what they were looking to accomplish here. They knew Kurosaki _should_ be a Vizard. But they all knew, after having actually met him, that his soul ribbon was white, even if his reiatsu didn’t match that of a regular human. But he ultimately was human, not even Shinigami, let alone Vizard. So, what exactly were they hoping for?

Shinji knew what he wanted. He was hoping, maybe even praying to Something with a capital S, that Kurosaki stayed normal. Because otherwise, this 15-year-old kid would, some way or another, be dragged into a century-old conflict that Shinji adamantly believed should be resolved between those already involved: the Vizard, Urahara Kisuke, Tsukabishi Tessai, Shihouin Yoruichi, and Aizen fucking Sousuke. He scowled as he thought of his treacherous ex-vice-captain. He had always been suspicious of the overly polite bastard, knew he was up to no good, and had kept an eye on the man as he pretended to be perfectly subservient to not only Shinji, but also to Soul Society. He clenched his hand into a fist, which was pressed white-knuckled to the top of his knee.

A snarl ripped through the expanse of his inner world as Sakanade awoke from her slumber. The Zanpakuto spirit opened her eyes, a glint of steel-colored irises flashing against blackening sclera. Her lips parted to reveal four rows of sharp teeth - organized not unlike the jaws of a shark – as a growl rumbled in the back of her throat.

Before he could move to calm her, he was abruptly pulled back into reality. The girl who had told them their classroom assignments earlier – Inoue Orihime she had called herself – had slid into the desk right next to Shinji’s and turned toward him with a question. He pushed the murderous thoughts about Aizen away, swallowed hard and bit back the acidic taste of bile that skirted the very back of his throat, just a bit too similar to the taste of bone-white fluid spilling from his mouth that night one hundred years ago…

There would be a time and a place for Aizen’s demise, but it would have to wait until then.

“So Hirako-san! I haven’t seen you before, have you just moved here?” She gave him a big smile, which faltered a bit as she saw the expression on his face.

The corner of Shinji’s mouth twitched upwards in the best approximation of a smile he could currently manage. “Yeah. Me ‘n’ my family relocated some time ago. Ain’t really home yet, but it hasn’t been too long,” he responded, leaning on an arm as he turned to face her.

“Right, Kurosaki-kun mentioned you and your sisters transferred just recently!” Orihime tried to maintain her upbeat tone despite Shinji’s initial glower. She attributed his negative mood to the new school; it was never easy adjusting to a new environment and this was high school. Although, she thought to herself, he was lucky this wasn’t a new middle school. Thirteen-year-olds were the meanest people in the world, because they will make fun of you in an accurate way [1].

Shinji could feel his head throb ever so slightly. The irritation with the worst backstory in all of history, from creation onwards, was really never going to fade. Worse was that Shinji could easily imagine some random manga including the same plot device. Was his entire life becoming a collection of overdone scenarios?

“Yup, me ‘n’ the siblings are all here.” An amused snort slipped out before he could stop himself.

Orihime tilted her head slightly. “But didn’t you guys have different last names?”

“Er…yeah, I guess ya can say we’re adopted,” Shinji said hesitantly. “We kinda hung onto our own names though and our …ah…benefactor didn’t really mind.” He crossed his fingers in hopes that no more questions would be asked about the dubious background of the Vizard family, ESPECIALLY not to the disaster trio.

* * *

 

As Shinji was wishing the other three Vizard would play nice and be quiet next door, Lisa, Mashiro, and Hiyori were doing exactly NOT that. 

The moment they had walked into the room, there had been a lull in conversation amongst the students as everyone had turned to look at them, before huddling together to gossip about the new kids.

Hiyori grumbled under her breath about “brats who don’t know a thing about what’s good for ‘em” while taking a seat as close to the door as possible. Mashiro sat in the seat right in front of her, while Lisa sat to her left. 

“Where’s the damn kid,” Hiyori spat, glaring around the room.

“I don’t think he’s in this class!” Mashiro mentioned, not seeming to care at all.

“WHAT?!?” Hiyori yelled. Her reiatsu flared, while a touch of black bled into her eyes, and Lisa turned to hiss something at her.

There was another pause in the conversation, and this time when the students turned to stare, more than a few of them looked suspicious or frightened.

It was Mashiro (of course it was Mashiro) who helped them seem more likeable.

“She’s just a lil’ cranky, but she won’t bite!” she shrugged, giving everyone a cheerful look.

“Are you guys new?” someone blurted, taking advantage of the silence.

“Yeah!” Mashiro started babbling right away. “We’re from out of town and we just started at this school!”

“Are you guys really siblings?” someone else asks, cautiously. Everyone was paying more attention to the newcomers, and the corner of Lisa’s mouth turned down in disapproval as Mashiro continued to chat.

“Oh yeah, we’re a big family! Not by blood, of course, but we’re still family all the same,” she explained, pleased with something as she interacted with the humans. Hiyori rolled her eyes and sneered at a student who had come a little too close to the Vizard. Said student promptly scuttled off and Hiyori crossed her arms over her chest and slouched in her chair.

“Stop talking, Mashiro,” she snapped, and underneath her breath mumbled, “If baldy says something different in the next room, ya already know we’re fucked.” 

Mashiro laughed at that, but didn’t answer any more questions or divulge any more information. She instead took to prodding a nearby group of girls about themselves.

Lisa and Hiyori, on the other hand, did not bother to fake a friendly interest in the other students. They instead took to having an entire (and quite heated) conversation conducted solely through the glances they exchanged. Roughly translated, Hiyori was four seconds away from losing her goddamn mind and Lisa was reminding Hiyori that she was here with the intention of babysitting a human child, not a Shinigami one. The wordless exchange became rather complex, devolved quickly into rather rude gestures, and ended with Hiyori pulling down her eyelids while sticking out her tongue as Lisa rolled her eyes and opted to ignore her.

Class 1-2 hadn’t even realized what had hit them.

* * *

 

Class 1-3, on the other hand, had been in session for four and a half minutes and Shinji was already bored. The teacher had arrived seven minutes ago, introduced himself curtly, and promptly began outlining the material for the school year. This was far worse than any class the Vizard had endured during his academy days so long ago. At least even the boring classes then had been somewhat relevant to his future as a Shinigami – this was just human drivel, 97.5% useless for the most part.

His mind kept wandering, as did his eyes. Until he noticed someone kept glancing at him. 

_A square_ , Sakanade laughed, her deep voice resounding in the forefront of his mind. Shinji agreed with her, an amused glance thrown at his secret admirer: a mid part of black hair that reached past the ears, a pair of rectangular glasses settled on his nose, and stern, unfriendly eyes behind them. He looked pretty severe, and judging from his posture, probably had a touch of a superiority complex, so he didn’t strike Shinji as the type to be interested in others.

Shinji reached out with his reiatsu to poke at his admirer, wondering if there was anything out of the ordinary about him. He instantly recoiled, as the edge of his reiatsu brushed against the reiryoku of a Quincy, who turned to scowl at him. There was no doubt: the kid knew what Shinji was – or at least, what he had once been. Holy hell, how was he supposed to explain this one? The Vizard definitely hadn’t made a contingency plan for having their identities exposed, let alone on the very first day, and they were definitely not prepared to tackle dealing with a Quincy. Shinji sunk into his seat and quickly began planning for the worst. He could make an excuse to leave the classroom and let his reiatsu spike outside Class 1-2. That would definitely alert the other three that something was wrong. He could also just slip out of his gigai and alert them without anyone else noticing. That was definitely not ideal, though – there was no way the Quincy at the least wouldn’t notice and no one had really run any tests on what Ichigo was capable of. In fact, the Quincy would probably notice Shinji making any sort of escape attempt and the only thing that could make it worse was that Ichigo might be able to see him too. His mind was racing at a mile a minute, until he heard Sakanade click her tongue in distaste.

_You are shaken at the presence of a mere mortal_ , she noted, eyes narrowing. _Quincy or not, you are more than capable of disposing of him._

_Gee, thanks, Sakanade, lovin’ the confidence ya have in me ‘nd all, but I can’t go around slaughterin’ humans_ , Shinji snapped back, the sarcasm earning him an eye roll. Sakanade shrugged and sniffed, making her opinion on the matter clear. She retreated to lounge about in his inner world, leaving him to deal with the situation on his own.

Shit, what was he to do? He ran a hand through his hair and noticed the kid adjust his glasses in a poor attempt to glower at him again. Slightly unsettled, but never one to show it, Shinji shot the Quincy a grin and a wink.

The Quincy blinked, clearly taken aback. Shinji’s grin stretched even wider, his tongue running along the back of his teeth. Oh, this was just perfect – he was clearly sending the Quincy mixed signals and if there was anything Shinji could get into, it was leaving people feeling bewildered and out of their depths.

Shinji stuck his tongue out enough for his piercing to make an appearance but shifted away almost immediately, as if he hadn’t really just done that. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the Quincy kid stifle in his seat and sit up a little straighter (if that were even possible), maybe out of indignation?

The next hour of class consisted of Shinji toying with the Quincy, pushing his buttons in a way only Shinji was capable of doing to anyone, no matter how patient. When the teacher announced that the first class was over and the break had begun, Shinji gave one last playful grin to the Quincy before getting up, stretching, and sauntering out of the classroom. He was certain he would be followed and he was sure the other Vizard would find him if necessary. With that in mind, he took off for the first staircase he could find and headed up, hoping to find access to the rooftop.

* * *

 

It took him a couple minutes to find the right staircase. The first one he had taken had unfortunately ended on the upper most floor, without the last stretch of stairs that led to the roof. He only had to find the next staircase before he pushed open the door to the roof and went to lean against the railing, in wait of the serious-looking Quincy who had followed him not-so-discreetly out of the classroom.

He turned to stare at the courtyard below and took a deep breath. The wind wasn’t too strong today, so his hair wasn’t whipped into his face for once. Shinji propped his head on top of his arms as he hunched over the railing impatiently.

There was a loud bang as the Quincy stumbled out of the building and abruptly stopped upon seeing Shinji out in the open. Shinji, in turn, looked over his shoulder and tipped his head to his left side.

“Why don’t ya come here, the view’s pretty nice,” he said.

The Quincy looked a bit uncertain. His eyes flickered from Shinji’s face to the railing next to him a few times before he marched over, his face set in a determined frown.

“Who are you,” he interrogated. _Well_ , Shinji thought, _I wonder how much he knows_.

“Hirako Shinji,” he responded simply, grinning without meaning it. “What’s yer name?”

“I’ve never seen you before today. Where did you come from?” The Quincy ignored Shinji’s attempt to make conversation and instead focused on getting the answers he came for. Shinji rolled his eyes.

“Ya know, it’s real rude to ask a name without givin’ one,” he pointed out, giving the Quincy a look. A flash of indignance crossed the kid’s face.

“Ishida Uryu,” he responded curtly, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Now, answer, _Shinigami_.” Ishida practically spat the last word, the first slip in a rather emotionless and composed appearance Shinji noted.

Shinji cocked his head to the side, feigning ignorance.

“Don’t know what yer on about, but could ya quit it with the starin’ in class? Can’t get an education if I’m being harras-“

“I wasn’t staring, I was merely assessing a potential threat.”

“Could’a fooled me.”

“That’s beside the point. There’s no point in lying to me, Shinigami, I can see your soul ribbon.”

With that declaration, Ishida reached out and snatched a somewhat red ribbon from the air, holding it out for Shinji to see.

Shinji (and the other Vizard) hadn’t ever bothered to look at soul ribbons in a long time, but wasn’t all too surprised to see that his own wasn’t a pure red. While still mostly red, the ribbon had occasional black threads laced throughout, giving the impression that the ribbon was a much darker shade than it actually was or should be.

He raised both his hands defensively. “Ya got me,” he said sheepishly, “Kinda. I’m not really a Shinigami.”

Ishida bristled. “You clearly have a red ribbon. What else could you be?”

“I’m retired,” Shinji shrugged. It was technically not a lie. _Although_ , Shinji thought to himself with a laugh, _I guess fired would be more accurate_.

Ishida shot him a withering look. “Do you really expect me to believe ‘you’re retired’? Don’t think I didn’t notice the other three who arrived with you today.”

_Damn, he’s better than I would’a guessed for a kid_.

“Um, yeah? It’s not like it’s any of yer business, kid.”

“It _is_ my business. I am the last of the Quincies and I,” Ishida announced rather dramatically, pinning Shinji under an angry glare, “ _hate_ Shinigami.”

Right. Shinji knew about the massacre of the Quincies from even before his time, knew that the Shinigami were not and had never been merciful in their thinking or actions. Hell, he and the others had quickly been sentenced to death without a proper trial when they had been Hollowified unknowingly and unwillingly; there had been no chances given, regardless of the situation, regardless of them having been the victims. He would know better than most the cold manner in which the Shinigami executed their will, without even considering whether they were morally right to do so or not. In the end, there was no right or wrong within the Gotei 13 – there were only orders.

“Hey, I get it, they really did a number on yer kind, but ya have ta under-“

“That is not why I hate Shinigami.” Ishida interrupted him.

“Okay, you’ve got me stumped then,” Shinji admitted. There really wasn’t much else that came to mind in regard to the Quincies, other than, oh you know, the one-sided war waged upon them centuries ago. “War” wasn’t even an accurate term, it was propaganda; the “war” had been a genocide.

“I had a mentor once. He was the one who taught me how the way of the Quincy.” Ishida stopped, looking almost as if he wasn’t sure he should continue. Shinji motioned with his hand.

“Go on, what about him?” 

Ishida didn’t respond right away, a series of complicated emotions rippling across his face as he thought of how to proceed. He was conflicted; he owed this Shinigami no explanation, but the anger that burned in him when he thought of the injustice of his grandfather’s death overwhelmed him.

“There was a day when we were ambushed by Hollows; there were simply too many and he was overpowered. By the time the Shinigami bothered to arrive, he had died.”  

Ishida leveled yet another glare at Shinji; perhaps glaring was the only expression Ishida was capable of as a somewhat pretentious, angsty human teen or perhaps he was uncomfortable and incapable of expressing himself otherwise. Given some time to grow up, Shinji was certain the teen would mellow out. “That is why I hate Shinigami.”

Shinji sucked in a deep breath. This was an emotional minefield he would have to approach delicately. He raised both his hands rather defensively, again shrugging his shoulders up in his best attempt at innocence.

“I feel for ya, I really do. Yer not the only person ta get burned by Shinigami…” he trailed off, calculating the risks of admitting to why he would absolutely _not_ classify himself as one anymore. Ishida had revealed quite an intimate story with him, a story that shared in the uncontrollable fury that came with the betrayal and injustice dealt by the Shinigami. But in the end, it was just a little too close to Shinji’s heart, a step past the boundaries he established and protected after he had lost almost everything. He hadn’t spent almost one hundred years controlling his emotions and planning his every move just to burst at the seams in front of a fifteen-year-old.

“I told ya earlier, right? I wasn’t lyin’. I’m not a Shinigami _anymore_ ,” Shinji stressed the last word and appreciated the flicker of confusion on Ishida’s face, followed by a deeply furrowed brow. “And neither are my friends. Ya could say we had a bit of a ...fallin’ out.”

Ishida raised an eyebrow at that, looking a tad less stern, but not by much. 

“Do you really expect me to believe that? You claimed you were retired.”

“The proper word would’a been ‘fired’, kid. And I’m sure it won’t take me a long time ta convince ya that it takes an awful lot to get _fired_ from bein’ a Shinigami.”

There was some uncertainty in Ishida’s eyes now, but that didn’t stop him from objecting.

“Is that a threat? That means that not only you, but three other ex-Shinigami are running loose in this school. Four of you, who have apparently done something severe enough to be rejected by your own kind …provided you are telling the truth about this entire situation to begin with.”

Shinji pressed against his temples. “It's not a threat, jus' figured I'd let ya know we're not welcome by the Shinigami. But yer right ‘bout that, so here’s the deal. I’ll vouch for me ‘n’ my friends. We aren’t up to anything nefarious or suspicious or anything that’ll concern Shinigami.” Technically true, as Ichigo was technically a Vizard. “And in exchange, ya just get on with yer life and pretend we really are just some weird new kids that started school with ya.”

Ishida grimaced. “I refuse to negotiate with Shinigami, former or current. I have no way to ensure that you are being sincere in this deal. In fact, I would have no way to enforce it.”

“Okay, okay, I understand yer issue with the plan, but hear me out!” Shinji thought quickly, scrambling for any idea that seemed to be a reasonable offer. “How ‘bout this? Ya can’t really feel my reiatsu right now, right?” He motioned towards Ishida, who upon confirming Shinji’s statement for himself, gave a slight nod.

“From this now on, if we ever reach a point where ya can actually _feel_ any of our reiatsus, we’ll get outta town that very day. All four of us, we got a lotta experience with our control, ya see, so if ya ever notice any change at all, other than today since it was our first time and all, ya have my word, we’ll leave.” Shinji could see the equally calculating look on Ishida’s face, who was at that moment weighing the pro’s and con’s of making a deal with someone he had already deemed an unforgivable enemy.

It would be good to point out that Shinji and the other three Vizard attending school had mutually (begrudgingly on Hiyori’s part) agreed upon the suppression of their reiatsus while around humans. Normally, they were never in such an environment that required extended interaction with mortals and among those they had had to have associated with over the years, none of them had been very sensitive to spiritual pressure. That said, they really weren’t sure what Ichigo would be like, because Kisuke (that bastard) had refused to divulge any meaningful information about the kid. So they bullied asked Kisuke for some help with creating a limit and he complied (outwardly for he had little choice, inwardly because he too had never gotten over what had happened in the past) by providing them with some innocent-looking bracelets.

The assortment of bracelets were meant to blend in fairly well with the current human fashion trends at the time, while also conveniently covering the reiatsu vents that all Shinigami and Shinigami-like beings had at their wrists. This allowed the Vizard to suppress their natural reiatsu levels without constantly having to keep themselves in check. However, Kisuke’s bracelets were _not_ like handcuffs (thankfully) in that Shinji and the others, should they choose or put the effort in to do so, could wield their reiatsu as needed to an extent. All in all, the bracelets were a necessity, now more than ever.

“I know we put a couple’a blips on yer radar since this morning, but we honest to god didn’t know ya were around and we didn’t hurt anyone,” Shinji babbled, while waiting for Ishida to make a decision. He twisted the thick leather cuff around his wrist, thinking of how he needed to inform Lisa, Mashiro, and Hiyori at some point. “We’re also not really interested in anyone knowin’ we’re not quite human, so ya won’t really have problems with us wreaking havoc unseen.”

It had been a full four minutes since Shinji had first proposed the deal. Ishida had not spoken once in those four minutes and had simply stared at Shinji, who had blathered on and on about the precautions the Vizard would take and how Ishida could trust them to keep any promises they make, before eventually tapering off and waiting in silence for a response.

It was only after five minutes had passed that Ishida finally shared his decision. 

“Alright,” he spoke slowly, hesitantly. “I am willing to give you and your acquaintances a chance. _One_ chance. But there is simply no way I am going to agree to this until I can receive verbal confirmation from the other three members of your little group, and I can personally assess whether they are trustworthy or not.”

Shinji grinned at that. “Aw shucks, yer too sweet, Uryu.” Ishida spluttered at the use of his given name and tried to protest immediately, but Shinji talked over him. “Ya can meet the others during lunch. So it’s a deal?” He extended a hand towards Ishida and quirked an eyebrow. “Ya know ya want to.”

Ishida scowled as he took Shinji’s hand in a (rather) firm handshake, while also pushing up his glasses again.

“Whatever. It’s time for class again. Wait here a few seconds before coming in. I would rather not deal with any questions from others about you.”

And with that, Ishida yanked his hand away from Shinji and quickly made his descent back to the classroom. Shinji watched him leave as he pushed away from the railing.

“Looks like we made a new friend, Sakanade,” he said aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I love John Mulaney and I couldn’t resist.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading :-)


	6. Daddy.

Shinji took his time returning to the classroom, seeing as he had a few minutes to spare and Ishida was clearly not interested in maintaining outwardly friendly relations. Not necessarily wanting to antagonize someone who already suspected him of plotting, he didn’t bother trying to stick to Ishida just to piss him off.

Instead, he ambled down the stairs and strolled to Class 1-2. Poking his head through the door, he called out, “Guys, I need to talk to ya.”

Class 1-2, despite being on break, had been unnaturally silent, even before Shinji had arrived. This was most likely due to the anger radiating off of Hiyori, sitting right next to the door, preventing others from leaving. Upon Shinji’s arrival, however, a series of whispers burst out as everyone looked nervously between the members of the Vizard. Shinji gave an amicable smile before grimacing at the three Vizard staring at him blankly, jerking his head towards the hallway. Lisa is the first to get up and walk out, followed quickly by Mashiro, with Hiyori trailing slowly behind all of them.

Shinji takes the three of them to an emptier part of the hall, smiling good-naturedly at students who peered at them curiously as they passed by. Mashiro was the only one who also bothered to do so.

“So,” he started, once they had all huddled together. “I ran into a problem of sorts.”

“Already?!” Hiyori grumbled. “This was an awful, fuckin’ idea. Humans everywhere can't mind their own damn business.”

“Shaddup, this is a serious problem. I met a kid in my class - and yeah, Ichigo is there too, I’m keepin’ an eye on ‘im - and get this, he’s a Quincy.” Dead silence. Alright then. “So yeah, clearly we had a talk since he wasn’t exactly gonna let us loose in this town and it definitely ain’t ideal, but we struck a deal of sorts.” Still silence, surprising considering Hiyori wasn’t exactly the type to keep her feelings to herself and there really was no chance of her taking this lying down. “The deal obviously includes you three, because he already noticed yer presence and I tried suggestin’ we weren’t up to anythin’, but he really wasn’t havin’ any of that. So I promised we won’t ever increase our reiatsus to a point where the kid can feel it, which shouldn’t be too bad since we’re wearin’ Kisuke’s bracelets to begin with and it's not like we came here to brawl, but he also wants to meet ya guys at lunch time so maybe make a plan since we know how that could go wro-”

Shinji was cut off by a hand yanking the front of his shirt and dragging him down so that he was bent at eye level with Hiyori. “What’s his name?” Hiyori deadpanned, no emotions readable from her expression. _Oh shit,_  he thought to himself.

“Why’d ya need to know? You’ll meet ‘im durin’ lunch, just like I already said.”

“Because,” she responded, looking directly into his eyes as her own bled to black, “I’m gonna kill ‘im right now.” She said the phrase so nonchalantly, as if she were discussing what she’d like for dinner that night.

Mashiro whacked Hiyori on the back of the head. “Hiyori, we can’t just kill who we want!”

Lisa’s perpetually blank expression turned hard. “I agree with Hiyori. We need to get rid of the threat.”

“What threat?!” Shinji spluttered, not bothering to pull himself from Hiyori’s grasp. “The kid’s fifteen. Quincy or not, if we can’t handle ourselves around a literal human child, then we really did deserve to get kicked out by the Gotei.”

Hiyori snarled at the mention of the Shinigami, her grip on his shirt threatening to cut off his air. Lisa stood to the side woodenly, her uncertainty revealed by her eyebrows knitting together ever so slightly. 

“Shinji’s right, you know,” Mashiro interrupted calmly, gently placing her hand on Hiyori’s. She pulled both of their hands off of Shinji, who immediately took to rubbing his throat and gave Mashiro a grateful look. “We’re not here to give death sentences.”

“He’s threatening us, that’s reason enough,” Hiyori snaps. Her eyes are clearing up, the sclera returning to their normal shade of white.

“Can ya really blame ‘im? Four unknowns have suddenly appeared in his life, in the safety of his home, and he probably doesn’t know how to deal with this situation,” Shinji responded, voice soft in a way that almost hurts. “He’s overwhelmed and overpowered. He doesn’t know us at all, know what we’re capable of. And he’s so young and alone in making these decisions. If we condemn him for his fear, kill him for acting out ‘cause he’s fuckin’ scared and we're uncertain 'bout 'im, we would be committing the very actions we have resented the Shinigami for committing against _us_.”

There was silence again. Shinji didn’t want to keep talking, since he felt as if he had already rubbed salt into an old wound he cut open himself. Mashiro was already accepting of the circumstances and looked towards him with understanding and kindness in her eyes; she gave him a big smile that was definitely out of place with the conversation they were currently having, but suddenly reminded him of those years she had fooled many into thinking she was empty-headed when she was anything but.

Lisa spoke up. “Are we really going to put our lives at the mercy of a child? He’s still a Quincy and I can’t imagine that he isn’t aware of what the Shinigami have done. He must resent us completely.”

“That’s already taken care of; we have a really fragile understandin' as of now. If ya agree with the bargain I’ve struck, I doubt he’ll renege on his part of the deal.”

Unfortunately for the Vizard, a bell sounded throughout the school building, indicating the next period was about to begin. 

“Think about it, okay?” Shinji asked, voice, again, softer than usual. “Come find me at lunch if yer willin’ to agree. If not, we’ll work something else out.” He offered the other three Vizard a small shrug and left them to make their way back to their own classroom, slipping into 1-3 just before the second bell rang.

* * *

The next few hours involved lessons that were as dull as they were infuriating, and it took everything Hiyori had in her to not fly into a rage right then and there. She felt like she was suffocating because of this horrible little plot she had been unwillingly dragged into and stewed in her resentment for the duration of classes. Fuck Kurosaki Ichigo, fuck Urahara and his scheming ways, fuck the dumb Quincy kid she wanted to get rid of but was unable to bring herself to after Shinji’s little sentimental manipulation earlier, and fuck Shinji for trying to manipulate all of them into agreeing to his dumb deal.

And fuck all of these humans. She swore on the Soul King himself that if she overheard one more human whisper about her when they thought she wasn’t looking, she’d eat her own Zanpakuto. The way they stared and snickered and poked fun of not just her, but all of the Vizard present at school made her think of what it had been like to be at the Academy, where it had been difficult to be friendly, let alone make friends, where everyone had that infuriating attitude of “sink or swim _alone_ ”. There was very, very little that Hiyori missed about Soul Society (not that she would ever admit anything she did miss) and its societal expectations, but that did not mean she liked it any better in the Living World amongst humans and their fake friendliness and empty eyes. She couldn’t stand any of them; she couldn’t stand the way they looked at her or the way they looked at the Vizards. Like they were other. The Vizard would always walk on the cusp of society, rejected from every possible world, living or dead.

The Hollowification that had been forced upon the Vizard had isolated them in a way no being before them had had to endure. The Vizard only had one another to rely on, because they had already faced persecution by those they thought they belonged with. And to Hiyori, there were no second chances. After the night she and the others had been Hollowified, after their conditions had stabilized with Urahara’s help and they had woken up, he had informed them, hesitantly, regretfully, that Aizen had gotten away with it all, unblamed, and that all of them would have to face the consequences. _Unfair_ , she had thought then, _no way_ , _they can’t do this to us_ , _this is our home_. But their punishment had continued without reprieve for almost one hundred years now, and it had only taken five of those years for Hiyori to make up her mind that _home_ was a word she would never use again. Discouraged by the lack of support from those she had considered her people and abandoned by the laws of her own society, Hiyori had lost faith in the system she had once been a part of and clung desperately to what she had left to believe in: trust. When she had nothing else, trust was an almost tangible currency, an invaluable one she had only exchanged with the Vizard and her Zanpakuto, and could be measured in the way that none of the Vizard had ever failed to support and care about her, even if they didn’t show it on the outside.

Now, here was Shinji, asking her to extend her hard-to-earn trust to not only a human she didn’t know, which she could barely tolerate the idea of, but a Quincy, who could do more damage with it than an average human could. _How dare he_ , she seethed, _how dare he try to pull that self-righteous crap when he knows exactly what kind of position that puts us in. What is he even playin’ at! The nerve of ‘im, that spineless motherfucker bendin’ to the will of an actual child!_

 _I’m with you there_ , a voice interrupted her thoughts. Kubikiri Orochi slipped out from the shadows currently cast in her inner world, eyes glinting fiercely. _T_ _hat skinny little moron is really trying to pull this shit on you. He’s betraying your trust._

Hiyori bared her teeth at him internally, a warning in the back of her throat. Kubikiri Orochi shrugged in reply. _Don’t you agree? How could he do this to you, to Lisa, to Mashiro, to the Vizard? Do you mean nothing to him? Has he been pretending all along? He never did share much about himself and it’s been a century. Perhaps he’s been waiting all this time to rid himself of you. You’ve never been very kind to him, have you? He probably knew this would drive you away, and he couldn’t be more thrilled._

 _Stop it_ , Hiyori roars. _Just stop it, you don’t get ta say that ‘bout ‘im. Shinji tries harder than all of us ta keep the Vizard safe._

 _Getting defensive, are we?_  He laughs unkindly, the sound rattling in Hiyori’s head. _You were just thinking the same thing. You were just thinking that Hirako Shinji is betraying you with this decision._

 _I wasn’t thinkin’ that, dumbass_ , she snarls, _I was just upset ‘bout this whole awful fuckin’ situation and was takin’ it out on baldy since he’s the only one I can blame over ‘n’ over again without getting into a real fight!_

He smiles, baring all of his teeth so that he looks more vicious than happy. _So you_ don’t _think that his plan is that awful after all, do you?_

Hiyori gets irritated as she realizes just what her Zanpakuto had tricked her into admitting with his cutting words. He’d always been a blunt thing, pointing things out others might consider harsh or rude, but it was how he had no qualms about using that bluntness to poke at her anger that would cut into her constantly simmering anger and reveal some of her true feelings beneath. She’d say she hated how he did that, played the bad guy and tricked her into being more honest with herself and with him, but in all honesty, it was necessary. Hiyori easily expressed her anger and was quick to irritation, but she rarely talked about feelings beyond that. Without Kubikiri Orochi around to keep her in check, she probably would have done something stupid long ago.

 _Don’t think I don’t know what yer doin’_ , she snaps, no real anger behind it. _Baldy’s plan is absolutely fuckin’ awful, but he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think it were safe._

It was pretty obvious that Kubikiri Orochi was pleased with himself. _Well, I see no reason not to comply with the ‘literal child’, especially since Shinji’s already given his consent. Besides_ , he said, smirking, _the kid can be easily disposed of without notice._ He twirled his Zanpakuto form in his hands, his threat clear.

Hiyori sneered. _Agreed._

* * *

Meanwhile, Shinji drummed his fingers against the desk as he counted down the minutes until lunchtime. He’d barely been able to keep himself awake as he had endured lecture after lecture about math and history and other trivial human concerns. 

Bored as he was, Shinji’s mind couldn’t help but wander back to his little chat earlier. He was trying his best not to feel bothered by the reactions of the Vizard, but his thoughts kept returning to the cold and calm demeanor with which Hiyori had responded earlier, as well as the apparent concern that had marred Lisa’s typically expressionless face when he had explained the situation. 

 _They trust me,_ he thought to himself reassuringly, _I’m not askin’_ that _much, am I?_

Sakanade laughed, the sound deep and soothing, despite it being at his expense. _Little one, do you really believe that?_

Shinji immediately grumbled. _Ya know damn well how much I hate it when ya call me that. Don’t patronize me, I’m no kid._

 _I cannot help myself when I see you struggling with such pitiful problems time and time again,_ little one. She emphasizes the embarrassing nickname as amusement glints in her eyes. Shinji groans in response.

 _Might be pitiful for_ you , _but this is pretty serious for_ me! _I don’t ever want ta put the Vizard in a situation where they feel they can’t trust me or my decisions._

_Do you think you were wrong to handle the Quincy child as you did?_

_Not really. I didn’t really think he was that much of a threat once it came down to it. Seemed jus’ scared and hurt and unsure of himself. Which really isn’t too different from where we were at a while back and I'm not killin' a kid for feelin' that. It'd be hypocritical of me 'n' the rest of the Vizard._

Sakanade regarded him silently. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.  _Perhaps it is not the others who are lacking faith in you, but you who are lacking faith in them._

 _What are you suggestin’, Sakanade,_ Shinji narrows his eyes, something hard in the way he looks at his Zanpakuto. 

 _You should trust them more._  

With that, she left the conversation and retreated to his inner world, leaving him to fume over her words alone.

It wasn’t like he didn’t trust the Vizard. If anything, he trusted them with too much, with his life and his death, and if he could actually be honest with himself, with the remains of what he once considered his heart, but he had never been the kind to open up and show any sort of dependence on anyone or anything - a force of habit that had only gotten worse when he had been under the surveillance of one Aizen Sosuke. 

 _Perhaps Sakanade is right,_ he mused, _maybe I’m startin’ to doubt my own._

He shuddered at the thought; he never wanted to feel suspicious of his ~~family~~ allies. It would undoubtedly break him, and he wasn't sure he could mask it this time. 

_I'll apologize first thing lunchtime._

Sakanade's voice echoed softly in his mind.  _A wise choice, little one._

Shinji couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes, but he felt a thrum of contentment upon hearing her words.

* * *

 

The bell rang for lunch and Shinji stalked out of the classroom as quickly, but also as casually, as he could. He needed to speak with the Vizard before meeting up with Ishida again. What he wasn't expecting was almost running Mashiro over as soon as he walked out the door.

"Hey, didn't think I'd see ya so soon," he said, startled. Just behind her stood Lisa and Hiyori, both looking deceptively calm.  _I'm really in for it this time_ , he thought.  _Better speak up first_.

"Anyways I was lookin' for ya before I went to meet the Quincy kid, I just wanted ta say that I-"

"Sorry," Hiyori interrupted, in a low voice. She scowled at him. "I'm still pissed at ya for doin' something so stupid without askin', but I trust ya and that means I'm trustin' ya not to fuck us over with this Quincy situation."

Eyes wide and mouth slack - Shinji could not have anticipated this even if he were the Soul King himself.

"Uh, I, I was gonna, I mean, you don't have ta apolo-, um," he stumbled over his words, thoughts running too fast for his mouth to catch up, before he finally spit out what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry too."

"I should've taken yer opinions and feelings into consideration too, and I didn't, and it was an asshole move on my part," he explained, making eye contact with Hiyori. He looked at each of them individually before saying the next part. Quietly, just a bit sheepishly: "I trust ya with my life, and I'm hopin' ya can say the same."

The others exchanged a look of pleasant surprise, particularly Hiyori, whose normally furrowed brows smoothed into a perfectly startled expression; this was perhaps the first time that Shinji had ever willingly and openly admitted something that could be considered personal or feeling at all.

"We do," Lisa replied, confident in her reply. "That's why we're coming with you to meet the Quincy. We're agreeing to the deal."

One of Shinji's genuine smiles slipped through, the grin showing his teeth while his eyes seemed to light up.

"Well, let's not keep our new friend waitin'." Shinji begins leading the way to the roof again, his grin turning into a smirk.

* * *

 

"So...who wants to go pick them up from school?" Love asks, looking at the other three Vizard lounging about the warehouse floor.

"I would prefer not to," Rose said from where he's lying upon a couch. His eyes were closed and he made no move to open them.

"I cannot imagine my presence would be welcomed amongst the humans, especially the children," Hachi replied almost immediately after Rose. He certainly would stand out like a sore thumb, but it wouldn't be impossible for him to show up. Love knew that he was just trying to get out of doing any work, but couldn't really argue with his point.

"Looks like it's you or me, Kensei."

"Why the hell do we have to pick them up from school? They're adult souls, one of them being  _several centuries old_."

"Because we need an outsider opinion on whether they've managed to fuck up on day one or not and also, we should embarrass them when given the chance. It's not like we need to see the humans every day, but those four have to."

Kensei raised an eyebrow as Love smirks. "Best two of three? Loser has to go get the kids."

"You're on," Kensei responded and flipped Tachikaze out as Love lifts a hand to his face, preparing to Hollowify. 

 _Oh, goodness,_ Hachi thought.  _I better strengthen the barriers._

* * *

 

Lunch had been, surprisingly, a hilarious affair. At least it had been for Shinji and Mashiro. Lisa, Hiyori, and Ishida were unlikely to share that sentiment.

Upon stepping out on the roof, Shinji realized that they weren't alone as they had been during the earlier break. It appeared many of the other students enjoyed coming up to the roof to eat their lunches and chat with their friends. 

But Ishida was waiting, and the Vizard were already there, so Shinji strode forward while ignoring the whispers and stares. He threw an arm around an all-too-serious-looking Ishida and gave the Vizard a mischievous grin. "Lisa, Mashiro, Hiyori, I'd like to introduce ya ta my  _good_ friend, Uryu." He hadn't thought it possible, but soon the human children were whispering and staring even more than before. People were now starting to point, openly gaping at them, completely confused.

"Don't call me that," Ishida snapped instantly, shoving Shinji's arm off and brushing his clothes, as if he thought Shinji had left some Shinigami residue on him. "It's Ishida and we don't need to bother with names."

They were close enough and far away enough that no one would be able to hear them unless they dared to move closer, so Shinji held his breath, hoping that Hiyori wouldn't start yelling anytime soon.

Mashiro bounded forward, giving Ishida a hug and a squeal. She had clearly picked up on Ishida's underlying fear and confusion, and just like Shinji, was willing to exploit it.

"That's not very nice, Uryu! You're supposed to say nice to meet you!"

She leaned back without releasing him from her embrace and was pleased to see him turning red. "I'm Kuna Mashiro, but I'll let you call me Mashiro!"

"I'm definitely not going to call you that, kindly let go of me," he ground out each word, struggling to keep his composure. Shinji was thrilled - maybe interaction with the Vizard would force the kid to relax for once.

"I'm Yadomaru Lisa." She didn't bother to sound friendly or shake his hand. 

"You don't need ta know my name, but I'm tellin' ya right now that if ya take advantage of our kindness in trustin' yer  _dumb ass_ then I'll kill ya painfully, slowly, and ensure ya get tossed through the doors of Hell, got it?" Hiyori barked. Ishida opened his mouth to argue, already looking adamant about something or other, but Shinji interrupted them both.

"Hiyori, no need for threats right off the bat, I'm sure Uryu is more than aware that our agreement is more favorable for him than us. Mashiro, let the kid go, he's gonna faint from all that blood rushin' to his head."

Mashiro pouted, but let the Quincy go. He immediately smoothed a hand over his clothes and shifted his glasses up his nose.

"I can assure you that  _I_ will be more than civil, although I cannot say the same for you,  _Shinigami_." Ishida practically spat the word at Hiyori, who curled her lip back, snarling at him.

"Don't ever fuckin' call me that unless ya wanna lose some teeth, ya hear me!"

Ishida's eyebrow twitched, as did the corner of his mouth. "You do not wish to be called what you are?"

Before Hiyori could move to strike him, Lisa grabbed her by the back of her uniform. Shinji turned to a very confused Ishida.

"I did tell ya we were ...retired in a sense. We're not affiliated with the Shinigami anymore and we'd rather not be confused for 'em, alright?"

Ishida sniffed in reply. "I suppose that makes you a little more acceptable, although that does not make up for your past association with them."

Shinji clapped a hand against Ishida's back, grinning again. "Knew you'd come 'round, Uryu. Tell me, where'dya go to grab a bite here?"

Looking immensely put upon and a tiny bit exhausted already, Ishida surprisingly complied with Shinji's request and went into detail on the food options available at Karakura High. Eventually, the Vizard and Ishida were settled upon the floor of the roof with something to eat, and though Ishida hadn't stopped looking horribly stiff and uncomfortable, he hadn't refused Shinji's invitation to make small chat and didn't yell at Mashiro when she continued to pester him. Lisa and Hiyori kept their distance, but they looked a bit relieved to discover the Quincy really wasn't a threat, just as Shinji had claimed.

By the end of lunch, the entire school was buzzing: frightening, stern, first-in-his-year Ishida Uryu had been befriended by the bizarre new kids.

* * *

 

The rest of the school day passed without a hitch.

Shinji spent the next few hours in class making faces at Ishida, who was doing his absolute best to ignore Shinji's existence. Lisa set one of her erotic manga in her textbooks and read quite contentedly, while Hiyori set herself face-down on her desk and slept. Mashiro asked so many (irrelevant) questions in each lesson that the teachers weren't sure whether to punish her for being a disturbance or applaud her for her curiosity. Most of them took to begging her to be quiet which only made her laugh.

So everything was going rather smoothly for the first time since they had stepped onto school grounds. As the last bell rang, the Vizard met in the hallway and walked together to the school gates. Ishida had somehow slipped away as soon as the bell rang, otherwise Shinji was planning on tormenting him a bit longer.

He thought he'd have the chance to do so when he caught up to Ishida, standing completely still at the entrance to the school.

"Uryu! Ya left so fast ya didn't give me a chance ta walk ya home." Shinji gave him a suggestive smile, but Ishida didn't even glance his way. He was focused on something straight ahead of them. Shinji realized that most of the students, actually, were doing the same.

"What's goin' on?" He craned his neck, squinting at a figure standing at the gate. "Holy shit, is that-"

Lisa and Hiyori did a double-take as they registered the appearance of their fellow Vizard standing just outside. "What the hell-" Hiyori began.

"Who is that?" Ishida asked stonily. Shaking with laughter, having gotten over his initial shock, Shinji gave the Vizard an amused glance before turning to face Ishida.

"That's our  _daddy_ ," he announced, loud enough that the crowd of students nearby could hear. They devolved yet again into violent whispers and Shinji could only imagine the new rumors that would be spreading now.

Because standing with his arms crossed at the front of the school was Kensei, scowling something fierce and dressed in what could only be described as the costume of an American pimp from the 1950's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to write more about some of the other Vizard. Although, fair warning, Shinji is my favorite character in Bleach, which is why I end up writing about him usually.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading and hope you like it! :-)


	7. Meeting the Family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed Uryu to Uryuu - I haven't gone back and changed it in the other chapters though.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter seems kind of rushed? I wrote it like three sentences at a time over a couple weeks and kind of couldn't tell anymore if things were moving too fast or not.

"Looks like it's my win," Love said smugly. Kensei was lying on the ground nearby, clearly exhausted, but had enough energy to raise a finger in response.

Kensei groaned, "You're fucking annoying."

After several hours of goodnatured but intense sparring, Love had narrowly managed a second win, breaking the tie, meaning that Kensei would be going to pick up the kids from school. Rose seemed completely entertained by the outcome and a rather delinquent spark glittered in his eyes.

"You can't go greeting humans looking like  _that_ ," he pointed out. They all took in Kensei's appearance; his everyday outfit of a tank top and cargo pants were absolutely filthy and his face and arms had some rather nasty bruises and cuts. "The other kids are going to think you're up to no good."

"I'll change, I'm not stupid, Rose."

"But don't you think you should make yourself look friendlier?" Rose asked offhandedly, ensuring he didn't seem overeager.

"I'm not there to  _make_ friends, I'm going there to make sure _our friends_ haven't offed themselves somehow."

Love took the opportunity to jump in, picking up on Rose's subtle prodding. "Don't know, Kensei, maybe you could do with a wardrobe change. You dress like one of those military fanatics who don't know a thing about the military. Maybe some human will think you're cosplaying."

The following onslaught of manipulative comments persisted for almost half an hour, until Kensei warily gave in.

"I guess I don't really know the style nowadays," he grumbled, all while thinking of how comfortable his tank tops were.

Hachi gave him an innocent smile. "How about I find you some more suitable clothes?"

* * *

 

Now Kensei was standing in front of the school building precisely seven minutes before the last bell, gritting his teeth any time a stranger glanced his way ...and did a double take.

_That damn bastard. I'm going to punch him so hard once I get back, even Kido won't be enough to protect him._

The Vizard's warehouse had been quite far from civilized Karakura Town, which meant that Kensei had willingly donned the outfit picked out by Hachi, walked out the door, and continued on foot for quite a while. (Although he had raised his eyebrows at the flamboyant colors and gaudy style, all three Vizard had insisted these were the more modern trends of the current decade, which Kensei wouldn't know because he didn't care for fashion and he hadn't actively been around humans for at least 25 years; additionally, considering Lisa's style of dress, he figured this wasn't too different from a sailor uniform). It was only when he was too far to return that he realized the others had played a prank on him. As other people began appearing on the streets, it was all too evident that they eyed him with suspicion and made expressions ranging from surprise to terror as he stalked by. All of the humans he passed by were wearing simple neutral-colored shirts and pants, or suits, or uniforms, completely unlike his own attire. Upon laying his eyes on the first human he'd seen, Kensei swore he was going to tie the other three Vizard up and string them from the ceiling.

Presently he stood at the gate of the school, not uncomfortable or embarrassed, since Kensei wasn't really the type to feel that way over something so trivial, but plotting his revenge. His body language practically screamed,  _touch me, even look at me, and I'll kill you._ A bell sounded, and slowly, a mass of students began making their way out of the building, until they spotted him and stopped where they stood.

_Fuck do they think they're looking at._

It was only a few minutes later that he spotted Mashiro's green mop of hair, but she and the others made no move to rush toward him. In fact, they appeared to be too busy hunched over and  _laughing_ at him. 

_We're leaving. Now._ He thought before confidently striding towards them (he refused to show how irked he actually was with this stupid situation). 

The sea of students parted for him, all of them gawping at this bizarrely dressed stranger. He paid them no mind, but instead focused on Shinji's hand resting on the shoulder of what looked to be a very young teacher. At the very least, the stranger had the aura of someone who demanded silence and never smiled. Looking closer, he realized the teacher must actually be a student, as he was donning the same uniform as the others. Kensei stopped in front of the Vizard and the stranger, but before he could open his mouth, Shinji said, "Didn't think you'd come to pick us up, daddy-o." Lisa was doing her best not to smile, the corner of her lips twitching traitorously, while Mashiro didn't bother to hold herself back from laughing until she cried. Hiyori smirked wickedly, and although she wasn't laughing out loud, it was almost worse than the other three reactions altogether.

Instantly losing his cool, Kensei barked, "I'm going to kick all of your asses three centuries back if you don't hurry up and get the fuck out of here. Don't even start with me, Shinji, I'm never going to forget _your_ fashion don'ts, particularly your  _long hair_."

A glower. A pause. A look of confusion.

"Wait, did you just call me -"

Before he could finish his thought, Shinji linked his left arm with Kensei's, and grabbing hold of the bookish stranger, took off running. The other three Vizard followed, Mashiro waving at the dumbfounded mass of high school students watching some of the weirdest people they'd ever encountered turn the corner and out of sight. 

The crowd exploded soon after.

"That's their dad?!?"

"Their dad is scary as hell - who talks to their kids like that?"

"Did you see all his piercings? He must be a member of the yakuza or a gang!"

"Do you think he's involved with sketchy people?"

"He must be! Didn't you see his  _outfit_?"

".....I think he's kind of hot."

"Ew! Don't say that about another kid's  _dad_."

* * *

Six blocks away, yet again in a back alley, Shinji let go of his two captives, who had practically been dragged the entire way there. Ishida scowled furiously and took to tidying his appearance, which had become quite disheveled over the course of the journey. (Of course, he adjusted his glasses before attending to any stray hairs or wrinkled clothes.)

"Did you really need to bring me along?” 

"Who the fuck even are you?"

"Kensei," Shinji responds, running a hand through his hair. "This is Ishida Uryuu, and yea, Uryuu, ya needed ta come along. If we're actually gonna have an accord, I think it best if ya'd be willing ta meet the others."

 Narrowing his eyes, Kensei gave Ishida a once-over and a ferocious glare. "Not that I'm against you guys trying to make friends for the sake of fitting in, don't you think it's a bit much to introduce him to..." He trailed off, nodding his head in the direction of the warehouse, far from detection.

"It's a bit complicated, Kensei, don't get yer feather boa in a twist-"

A growl warned Shinji of Kensei's limited patience.

"Shut up before I-"

Hiyori interrupted them both. "You dumbasses better stop before  _I_ beat your heads in. Kensei, this fucker," jerking her thumb to point at Ishida, "Is a Quincy. And he's willin' ta let us hang out at the school without causin' us trouble, given the circumstances."

"We already all agreed," Lisa supplied, "It's not a big deal. Also, Kensei, what exactly are you wearing?"

Given the new information, the bemusement on Kensei's face wasn't inappropriate. His eyes roamed over the lot of them, taking in Ishida's inconvenienced expression, irritation sky-rocketing as Mashiro began pestering him about his messy hair and atrocious choice of outfit. 

"Can't believe I'm going to lose that damn bet," he grumbled angrily under his breath, swatting Mashiro's hands away from him. He leveled an unamused stare at Shinji, who shrugged in a  _it's not a big deal, I don't get why you're bothered_ way.

It was, of course, a big deal. The Vizard had run into a potential enemy on day one, which really called into question how good a plan it was to observe Kurosaki Ichigo from afar. Not that this particular enemy would pose them much trouble, Quincy or not, seeing as he was merely a human. But what if there were more enemies? What exactly were the conditions the Vizard had already agreed to with this Quincy?  _Why had they even agreed?_ They were clearly stronger than the Quincy, even in a one-on-one confrontation Kensei had no doubt that the Vizard were perfectly capable of taking the little brat down. God, what the hell was even going on anymore.

"You all have fucked up royally, in record time, and I'm somehow still surprised," Kensei announced instead of losing his shit right then and there. Stabbing a finger at Ishida, "And you, kid, if you pull any funny business, I'll kill you in front of the school and traumatize those little runts for life."

Raising a hand to rub against his temples, a headache threatening to begin, Shinji sighed tiredly. "We really need ta cool it with the death threats. He's a Quincy, yeah, but he's a kid. If he can even pull off any 'funny business'," Shinji used exasperated air quotes, "I think I'd be disappointed in us more than angry with him." He wiggled his eyebrows then, smiling just to tease Kensei. "Unless yer sayin' ya can't even handle a baby..." He trailed off, observing Kensei's reaction from the corner of his eye.

"I'm more than capable of handling a fucking  _baby_ , Quincy or not! He should just know what he has coming to him if he thinks he can get away with anything!"

" _He_ is standing right here,  _he_ is not a baby, and  _he_ is more than willing to keep his word as long as you can do the same." Ishida looked at the Vizard with disdain and picked his bag up off the ground. "I was not aware that you had more... acquaintances around town. But as long as they are willing to agree to our terms, and I am able to meet them at least once to judge their character, I will stand by our agreement." He gives Kensei a once over and sniffs. "Although I must say if all of your acquaintances have this kind of taste, I would be inclined to think they have poor judgment."

Shinji snickers, taking in Kensei's outrageous outfit, the too-loud zebra print lapels clashing horribly with his startlingly red suit, an actual feather boa slung around his neck. "Seriously Kensei, why the hell didn't ya just wear yer normal clothes?"

A scowl twisted the already upset look on Kensei's face. "Because I had a momentary fit of insanity and also, the next person who comments on my clothes is going to eat my feather boa and I'm pulling it out the other end. Also, should we really be judging me right now? I heard you call me your dad at school, what the hell is that all about?!"

The others, including Ishida surprisingly, shared a look and all did their best to avoid laughing right in his face all over again, some of them faring far better than others (particularly Ishida, who hadn't smiled once in the entire time the Vizard had known him; although, it _had_ only been one day). Kensei scowled anew and crossed his arms, waiting for a response to his completely valid question. It never came. Instead, after sufficiently composing themselves, the Vizard looked to Shinji for their next move.

"Kensei, we'll explain everythin' on the way." Smirking, Shinji turned to address Ishida. "C'mon Uryuu, looks like it's time ta go home."

* * *

Back at the warehouse, Hachi, Rose, and Love were in various states of lazing about, although Hachi did seem surprisingly proper due to his hands being folded carefully in front of him and his posture remaining perfectly straight.

"What do you think is taking them so long?" Hachi fretted, the slight look of concern marring his brow.

The remaining Vizard had watched all too gleefully as Kensei had left the warehouse over two hours earlier, dressed from head to toe in what had to have been the most embarrassing outfit any of them had ever seen (and that was including how odd most of the Vizards' style had been to begin with). Upon his departure, the three of them had spent roughly 45 minutes making fun of Kensei's obliviousness and couldn't wait for his return, presumably fuming. 

But as a full hour passed, and then another, Hachi had slipped into worrying and anxiety that perhaps his little joke on Kensei had gotten the Vizard in trouble amongst the humans. Rose and Love had repeatedly assured him that nothing had happened to Kensei, and if anything  _had_ come up, Kensei was a big boy and more than capable of handling a few humans.

Now just two hours and eight minutes after Kensei had left, the warehouse door slammed open with a bang. The sunlight filtering in revealed the outline of an absolutely ticked off Kensei, already shedding the ridiculous suit jacket and yanking off the feather boa. He tossed them to the side of the door and marched towards Hachi, his reiatsu flaring something awful and vaguely threatening, but pointedly so that only Hachi, Love, and Rose felt the brunt of his ire.

"Kensei, did you have a nice trip?" Rose asked, smiling genially, completely ignoring the furious pressure of Kensei's reiatsu weighing down on him. 

"Shut up, Rose, or I'll beat your face in too." Kensei grabbed the front of Hachi's clothes (as close to his neck as he could get) and yanked, hard.

"Are you looking to fight, Hachi, because I can't say I appreciated all the looks I got on my way to school." Kensei didn't raise his voice, just gave an unamused stare into his friend's eyes. 

"My, my, Kensei, where's your sense of humor," Hachi asked nervously, his brow furrowing more than it had before.

"It died, just like whatever was skinned to make this god-damn suit!" Kensei practically snarled, pulling back a fist as if to strike Hachi across the face.

A cough cut through the tension on the warehouse floor and the Vizard who had remained in the warehouse turned to eye the stranger who had entered along with the rest of the gang.

"Not that I care for how you barbarians choose to behave amongst yourselves," Ishida said primly, casting an unamused glance at Kensei's raised fist, "But I refuse to stay here any longer than necessary. Either hurry up or I am leaving."

"No one asked you to stay," Kensei grumbled, lowering his fist and releasing Hachi's clothes.

Rose regarded Ishida with a seemingly lazy stare, although there was a glint in his eyes that burned dangerously. "And who might you be?"

"My name hardly matters - I am here because your rather dimwitted associates thought they could waltz into my school unnoticed."

"Hey, that's not fair! We weren't trying to run into you, Quincy-kun!" Mashiro pouted. Upon hearing the nickname, Hachi, Rose and Love turned to face Ishida, who shifted a tad uncomfortably under their stare.

"He's a Quincy?" Love asked, a hand moving to rest casually on his Zanpakuto.

It was Hiyori who snapped at the three of them in response. "Yea, he's a Quincy, but  _we_ were also the ones ta bring 'im here, so frankly it's insultin' that yer goin' for the kill like that."

Shinji instantly relaxed at her comment and he couldn't help but think about his earlier fuck up with agreeing to this particular plan without their consents and was eternally grateful for Hiyori's support, which was usually near impossible to receive, but godly to wield - none of the Vizard had it in them to argue with her when she was being serious about something. However, instead of expressing such gratitude as a normal person might, Shinji just grinned and said, “Hiyori bein’ the most rational one here doesn’t really bode well for our survival - ouch, what the hell!” A flip-flop had smacked into his face, leaving its clear red imprint on his skin. 

Ishida cleared his throat, and all of the Vizard turned to look at him. 

“Now that my identity as a Quincy has been established,” he began stiffly, shifting his weight ever so slightly, giving away his discomfort (which, granted, he was a very young teenage human surrounded by eight powerful non-human entities and wasn't quite sure what to make of them, as they rather _seemed_ incompetent, but hadn't wanted to dismiss them on appearances alone), “I find it necessary to point out I actually only came here to ascertain whether you were threats or not. Normally I would not extend such judgment, but your associates here insisted you were not Shinigami, and I am doing you all a favor by agreeing to an understanding, which would entail all of your agreement to the guidelines I have set with these four. I understand you four -", now pointing at the Vizard who had not attended school, "- will not necessarily be within the range of Karakura Town where I would be concerned about your presence, but I find it important to ascertain whether your little group as a whole will uphold its-"

”Kid, do you ever shut up?” Kensei interrupted. The Vizard had started to make themselves at home when Ishida had begun talking, with Hiyori, Mashiro, and Lisa moving to join the rest of them in sprawling about the warehouse floor; only Shinji had remained by Ishida's side, mostly because he felt and technically was responsible for this situation in the first place. Love and Rose had clearly tuned out after Ishida’s first sentence and while Hachi was doing marginally better pretending to listen, the other Vizard could tell he, too, would rather be doing anything else. 

Flustered, Ishida opened and closed his mouth a few times before Shinji supplied for him, “Basically, like Uryuu was sayin’, we’re gonna play by his rules jus’ while we’re in his territory, which is the school, since we aren't really lookin' to go out in town otherwise. Rules are simple enough, we jus' can't be throwin' our reiatsu around the humans, which we weren't plannin' on in the first place. Fair enough, right?”

Love shrugged, not feeling strongly one way or the other and simply wanting the long lecture from Ishida to come to an end. Rose, laid-back as always, didn't even bother to give a response from where he was leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed. The only Vizard that showed any apprehension at all was Hachi, which was unsurprising as Hachi normally  _was_ the apprehensive one, in all matters. He chewed on his lower lip, the furrow between his brows growing ever deeper as he contemplated a minimum of one hundred (more precisely, one hundred forty seven) ways this agreement could lead to utter disaster. He only emerged from his thoughts when an elbow jostled him.

"Hey," Lisa said, "Is this going to be a problem?"

"That would be the question," he murmured to himself. Straightening from where he sat on the warehouse floor, Hachi addressed the other Vizard and the Quincy directly, "I suppose if you are all agreeing to this neutrality, I have no choice, but to agree as well. Ishida-kun, I hope we are not making a mistake in trusting you."

Ishida bristled at the comment. "It is not my trustworthiness that is most suspect here," he snapped in return.

"C'mon, Uryuu, lighten up a little, won't ya," Shinji grinned, ruffling Ishida's hair, "Let me formally introduce ya ta my family."

"For the last time, stop addressing me so familiarly, you, you, you annoying  _bastard_!"

The swear word slipped out before he could stop himself and Ishida mentally punched himself in the face for letting his composure slip. Shinji and the other Vizard, on the other hand, looked overjoyed at Ishida's little accident.

"Aw, so little Uryuu can express himself," Shinji crooned mockingly, smirking at Ishida's growing irritation.

" _Fuck. You._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments and support. I am really happy to see any indication that someone else is enjoying this idea that the Vizard are chaotic good and should have been introduced earlier on :-) hope you guys like this chapter as well!
> 
> I think I've gotten better at more frequent updates, and they should stay pretty frequent now, but also I just moved and it's been a whole process and I have yet to find a good wifi solution so we will find out lol please bear with me.


	8. Urahara Kisuke.

It had now been three weeks since school started, and the Vizard had settled into a (rather boring) routine.

Every morning, Mashiro would energetically wake up Shinji, Lisa, and Hiyori (in that order, from least to most resistance) to get ready for the day. Those three would then force the rest of the Vizard to get up, because as Hiyori put it, “I refuse ta suffer alone.” The Vizard who were attending school would then take off for the day, leaving the other four to go back to sleep and perform other miscellaneous duties, like chores and minimal Hollow hunting (never enough to alert anyone of their presence in Karakura Town, just enough to ensure no one got eaten, because obviously, the current generation of Shinigami were a bit lackluster).

At school, the Vizard would doze through classes, to the utter exasperation of all of their teachers, who continuously pointed out they would never perform well enough on their exams to get into a good university, which was a completely useless threat to the Vizard, who had no intention of attending university at all. They were driving the adults in the establishment to the brink of insanity, particularly once the first exams of the year had been conducted and all of the Vizard had passed with flying colors, _despite sleeping through every class they were in._

During breaks and lunch time, the Vizard (even Hiyori) actually took to ~~harassing~~ hanging out with Ishida, who initially appeared incredibly put upon by their constant badgering, but eventually mellowed out enough to even call them occasionally by last name instead of some vaguely insulting moniker. It was a strange friendship, if it could be called that. The other students often couldn’t help but stare at the four new kids (who seemed somewhat like delinquents based on their behavior in class) associating with the smartest kid in their grade. Moreover, Ishida Uryuu, who had never _had_ friends to speak of, was allowing them to do so. Everyone knew that Hirako Shinji was the only person to ever call Ishida familiarly, with his siblings all calling Ishida some fond nickname (actually, Lisa and Mashiro took to calling him “Quincy-chan” because it pissed him off and Hiyori lovingly called him “dumbass” as she did with most people).

Aside from Ishida, the Vizard hadn’t really expected to make “friends” with any of the other students, particularly when all of them couldn’t stop gossiping about how “weird” they were (although the rumors and staring had died down a lot since the first day). But it wasn’t surprising, given Mashiro’s nature, that she was on good terms with several of the girls in 1-2, and she also encouraged them to give Lisa and Hiyori a chance. So while they weren’t eating lunch together and having sleepovers, the girls were actually doing quite well for themselves socially at school.

On the other hand, Shinji was in a bit of pickle when it came to social situations. It was true that he had Ishida in class with him, so breaks weren’t ever lonely or awkward (not that Shinji was one to feel lonely or awkward, particularly after living in exile for so long), but he had to pick and choose quite carefully who he associated with in class, as he wasn’t sure it would be the best idea to become friends with Kurosaki. Impartiality would help keep a clear mind, after all. But Shinji hadn’t anticipated that Orihime would persist in her efforts to talk to him, especially since she was also in the Home-Ec club with Ishida, and through Orihime, he had gotten to know Arisawa Tatsuki (who he actually quite liked for being spunky and unafraid and not judgmental), Asano Keigo (who was stupid in a kind of endearing but more often annoying way), and Kojima Mizuiro (who he _loved_ for how sly and capable the kid was; oddly enough, Mizuiro was quite fond of Shinji as well, though most people were unable to discern his slight preference for Shinji’s company) – all of whom were technically friends or associates of Kurosaki. Shinji found himself at the edge of Kurosaki’s social circle and he began to wonder what to do from there. Should he move closer? Should he stay away?

“Obviously, you get closer,” Love had responded when presented with Shinji’s dilemma. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t want a better idea of what the kid is like and whether anything weird is happening with him.”

“I can understand your hesitation, Shinji,” Hachi had said, looking rather solemn. “Approaching Kurosaki-kun at a time when we are uncertain of what our level of involvement should be is quite the predicament. But I do believe, as Love has already mentioned, it may be worthwhile to consider befriending the boy.”  

Rose had agreed with Love and Hachi and all Kensei had to say was, “Maybe don’t fuck up with this one, yeah?” The girls had basically said that the point of this whole adventure was watching the kid, so he might as well make his own job easier.

So, Shinji had gone ahead ahead and joined Keigo and Mizuiro one day when they went to talk with Kurosaki, easily slipping into the conversation despite Kurosaki’s fierce glare. As it turned out, the kid was no better than Ishida when it came to expressing himself, and the constant glares and scowls were actually the only expressions Kurosaki seemed capable of making. Thankfully, Shinji’s carefully crafted easy-going and friendly façade made it simple for him to become friends with Kurosaki, good-naturedly calling him Ichigo and asking him about his day and so on. It only took a week for ~~Kurosaki~~ Ichigo to accept Shinji’s existence as that of a friend and welcome him into his very small social circle.

Of course, this also meant keeping an eye on Ichigo was easier than ever and Shinji was able to note every day that nothing had changed from the day before. He relayed all observations to the other Vizard at the end of each day in the comfort of their warehouse and took to performing soliloquys about Ichigo’s appearance and mood and who he talked to or ate with, as there were really no developments to speak of otherwise.

“Oh, if I could just capture in words the accurate shade of his orange hair and the deadly glare in his eyes when he scowls at someone,” Shinji droned on and on, waxing poetic about his hair color and facial expression for the eighth time since they had started school.

“God, will you please stop – this is torture!” Kensei groaned, “We don’t need to know any of this useless crap!”

Shinji rolled his eyes at that, sticking his tongue out. “Not my fault that’s all there is ta say about the kid. Honestly, I think we might even be able to pull out sometime in the near future; nothing’s really happenin’ ta him.”

“But I like going to school! It’s so much fun talking to all those humans,” Mashiro pouted, clearly invested in any activity that kept her entertained and wholeheartedly ignoring the point of going to school in the first place.

“I’m with Shinji,” Lisa said, rolling her eyes at Mashiro’s antics. “If nothing really changes with the kid, I vote we move away from town, we’ve been here longer than we’ve stayed most places in the Living World.”

Hiyori grumbled sullenly, throwing rocks across the warehouse at the walls. “Why the fuck did we even bother trying this out anyways, this was a dumb plan just like I said it would be.”

Shinji ignored her negativity, answering as if she had actually meant for her question to be answered. “Because we weren’t sure what ta expect and technically speakin’, that bastard Sousuke was involved with this situation.”

“Not to mention Urahara was also somewhat involved,” Rose mentioned offhandedly, unintentionally setting off Hiyori’s fuse at the mention of her ex-captain.

“That bastard has always been so fuckin’ shady and now he can’t even be bothered ta deal with this dumpster fire,” she snarled, pacing the warehouse floor, abandoning the rocks she had been so carelessly tossing just moments ago.

Rose and Shinji exchanged a glance and both shook their heads; they were not willing to get beat up on Urahara’s behalf so they let Hiyori go off on a rant about “that shitty baldy and his dumb experiments”.

“Anyway,” Love interjected, changing the topic as Hiyori began running out of insults to describe Urahara’s personality, appearance, and existence. “I do think we should pack up and move if it turns out nothing particularly in our field of expertise comes up any time soon. It’s been fifteen years of quiet, don’t you think we can just let this one situation go as a freak accident?”

All the Vizard reflected on Love’s words carefully. It was true they were paranoid about the Kurosaki kid’s situation only because of the involvement of Aizen, but it wasn’t as if they were wrong to do so. Aizen was their end goal; the Vizard’s favorite past time was discussing how they would take him down and squabbling over who would be the one to actually kill him.

But all things considered (and focusing again on the Kurosaki issue), it was true. There was no need to linger around the kid when clearly, he was a pretty average human, spiritual pressure aside. Shinji had mentioned that there were rumors that Kurosaki Ichigo was known for “seeing ghosts”, which all of the Vizard attributed to his unusual amount of reiryoku. Shinji had asked about it once, but Ichigo had gruffly changed the subject and Shinji had let it go, as it didn’t really change much in regard to the Vizard. They had then just shrugged it off as an oddity that arose from the strange conditions of his birth. So, no, there really wasn’t much to do or say when it came to Kurosaki Ichigo.

At least, there _hadn’t_ been, until one Friday morning in the middle of May, roughly one month after the Vizard began school, when Shinji waltzed into Class 1-3 and nearly broke his neck tripping over a desk.

Because Ichigo’s spirit ribbon had changed.

It was red.

 

* * *

 

“Hey Ichigo,” Tatsuki said, “I heard about that truck crashing into your family’s place. Is everyone alright?”

“Yeah,” Ichigo responded. “Goat face and the girls actually slept through the whole thing.”

Ichigo and his friends were chatting about the freak accident that had occurred the night before. According to Ichigo, a truck had run directly into Kurosaki Clinic at around 3 in the morning, but no one had woken up to the crash and the front of the building now sported a gaping hole with much of the first floor had been demolished.

Shinji was barely listening though, because all he could do was stand around Ichigo’s desk with the others and stare at Ichigo’s ribbon. His red ribbon.

_How the hell did this happen all of a sudden. He didn’t show any indication of having Shinigami powers before._

Shinji glanced over at Ishida, who returned the look with a furrowed brow. Ichigo’s ribbon hadn’t escaped his notice either, meaning Shinji wasn’t going crazy, so at least there was that. But that did mean things were taking an unexpected turn and that normally meant things would become bad…

As the teacher walked in and the group dispersed to take their seats, Shinji suddenly realized the presence of a new student, sitting to Ichigo’s right, extending an upturned hand while smiling brightly.

 _Who the hell is that?_ Shinji wondered to himself, before he noticed. His eyes widened slightly as he finally saw her ribbon as well. _Why the fuck is there a Shinigami here?_

The situation had turned from bad to catastrophic in seconds.

 

* * *

 

 When the bell rang dismissing the students for lunch, Shinji noted that the new Shinigami had dragged Ichigo off somewhere before anyone else had even gotten up. Instead of following them, which he debated with himself about for a few seconds, he grabbed Ishida and went searching for the others. Upon gathering everyone in a less populated corner of the roof, Shinji blurted out, “What the hell is going on!?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing actually,” Ishida replied, putting a finger to his temples. Turning to the girls, who were looking completely confused by the urgency with which Shinji had dragged everyone to the roof, he began to explain, “This morning when we came in, Kurosaki Ichigo, who is in our class – he has orange hair you have probably seen him around – had a red spirit ribbon.”

The Vizard stiffened, aside from Shinji who was too busy trying to piece together what exactly had happened. Most likely, this new Shinigami was related to Ichigo’s sudden manifestation of Shinigami powers.

“Not only that,” Ishida continued in the background, “But there was also a new student, an actual _Shinigami_ , as well.”

Lisa looked sharply to Shinji, who shook his head discreetly. No one they personally knew, thankfully, otherwise they’d be found out immediately.

Although, if either Ichigo or the Shinigami bothered to look at the spirit ribbons of the people at school, the Vizard would also be exposed, which really threw them for a loop, as they were _supposed_ _to be_ in hiding from certain death by Central 46.

“Are ya tryin’ ta tell me that this random kid suddenly became a Shinigami overnight and is now friends with one that he brought ta school?!” Hiyori ground out, teeth clenched.

The Vizard were feigning ignorance over Ichigo’s situation, pretending they had no affiliation with him whatsoever since they had never come clean to Ishida about their reasons for infiltrating a human school to begin with.

“It would appear that is the case,” Ishida grimaced. “This cannot be happening, right? Is it even possible for a human to become a Shinigami in the first place?”

“In certain cases, yeah, it could happen, it’s jus’ real unlikely and has a lot of negative consequences attached,” Shinji explained without actually elaborating on any of the conditions under which such a thing could occur.

“Isn’t it fine? Berry-chan and Shinigami-chan probably aren’t up to anything other than Hollow extermination anyway, so what’s the problem?” Mashiro remarked.

Ishida looked at her dumbfounded. “ _What’s the problem? The problem is that a human has suddenly acquired Shinigami powers he previously didn’t have! Does that not strike you as a potential problem, Kuna, particularly for you and your friends, who are, as you say, ‘retired’ Shinigami!”_ Ishida’s voice was controlled, level, but his anger and frustration with the situation were evident. He was at a loss with what to do, having never been confronted with such a predicament before.

“Hey, it’s okay, Uryuu, calm down, take a couple deep breaths.”

Shinji placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, hoping to placate him despite not knowing how to approach the situation himself. He and the others were faring marginally better than Ishida, though, as they had already known Ichigo was an anomaly and while the Vizard weren’t thrilled about this sudden development, they were actually expecting much worse. At least he seemed to be a normal Shinigami-human hybrid, rather than a Shinigami-Hollow-human hybrid like they were originally anticipating.

Standing in a circle on the roof, the idle chatter of their fellow students registering as white noise, everything seemed extraordinarily calm despite the metaphorical storm brewing. They really were in the eye of an unprecedented hurricane, uncertain of how long the peaceful quiet of their everyday existence would remain and even more unsure of how to navigate the storm they were surely to be thrust into, without warning.

“Let’s take a look at the positives for now. Ichigo and his Shinigami buddy don’t pose a threat so long as they aren’t looking for one, right? They don’t know yer a Quincy, Uryuu, or that we’re ‘retired’, and I think we’re the only ones who bother with spirit ribbons anymore – they’re kinda old-fashioned and we only really used it because you mentioned it when we first met.”

Ishida puffed up a bit indignantly at that, but deflated a moment later, conceding to Shinji’s logic.

“So the plan is ta jus’ keep up appearances. Obviously, that’s most important for us, not you, Uryuu, since this new Shinigami doesn’t have any jurisdiction on ya.”

It was a tricky situation; the Vizard would be _trusting_ Ishida to keep quiet about their existence and despite a month of bickering and chatting and this something like friendship that have grown between the Quincy and the Vizard, they held their breath as they awaited Ishida’s response, the unspoken words extended to him.

(Hiyori, as expected, was not pleased with relying on the Quincy to keep their secrets, but had little choice. Additionally, the Quincy had wormed his way into her life, despite the initial mutual disdain, and she wasn’t willing to say she _trusted_ him, but she was aware that he stayed true to his word and wasn’t the absolute worst.)

“Of course, I will uphold our initial agreement. Whether the Shinigami asks or not, I am not at liberty to divulge information on you without your consent, unless you were to break any of the previously agreed upon conditions.” Ishida acted as if they had had any secrecy clauses in their initial agreement and Shinji and Mashiro broke out into smiles, while the corner of Lisa’s lips twitched upward. There was no move on Hiyori’s part to express happiness, but her eyes widened slightly to belie her shock, which she quickly schooled back into a scowl.

“Aw, Uryuu, I knew ya cared,” Shinji cooed, ruffling Ishida’s hair fondly as he smiled at the Quincy. Mashiro pulled the entire group into an energetic hug, with Ishida yelling a stream of profanity from the very center, and Hiyori doing the same when she was forced to join.

Who would have thought that they’d make such an unlikely ally, no matter how tentative the relationship may be?

 

* * *

 

School remained mostly normal, other than the fact that the once human Kurosaki Ichigo was now patrolling as an untrained and unregistered Shinigami, with Kuchiki Rukia by his side.

Shinji had, of course, relayed all of the information about Ichigo’s new powers and the new Shinigami (a Kuchiki!) as well as their plan to remain out of the way and ignorant. The others agreed that moving away would be irresponsible, now that something _had_ happened, so the four Vizard continued to attend school and keep a now wary eye on Ichigo and Kuchiki.

It had been odd to discover the girl was a Kuchiki, because none of the Vizard could remember her, which was unheard of for a Shinigami who also came from a noble family. They made petty bets about who she was and where’d she come from, just to pass the time, but they were driven a little insane that they couldn’t just go up to her and ask, “Hey, you weren’t part of the Kuchiki clan one hundred years ago, what’s up with that?”

Shinji had eventually contacted Kisuke regarding Kuchiki and her involvement with Ichigo, but the bastard actually had the gall to say that everything was fine, the Vizard had nothing to worry about, he would keep an eye on the pair and intervene as necessary and hung up the phone before Shinji could get a word in otherwise.

 _Damn him!_ Shinji snarled to himself. _We barely ask him about anythin’ and here he goes pullin’ this ‘oh I’m Mr. Everything’s-Under-Control-But-Only-I-Know-What’s-Happenin’’ and I think I might actually kill him this time!_

 _Perhaps you should distance yourself from the scientist, little one,_ Sakanade mused in the background. _I think his loyalties lie elsewhere._

 _I’m not an idiot, I don’t think Kisuke’s on our side, so ta say, but I thought we could at least_ try _ta trust the bastard after everythin’ that’s happened._

Sakanade shrugged elegantly. _You already know how I feel about the man. And his Zanpakuto, furthermore._

Shinji did know – she was not a fan of Benihime, who she thought to be overly blood-thirsty to the point of gluttony, and therefore not a fan of Kisuke (she said an unlikeable Zanpakuto was a good indication of an unlikeable wielder, to which Shinji had retorted, “What does that say about you and me?”).

_Whatever, screw him, we’ll just act like nothing’s wrong. Not like we’re really in charge of Ichigo bein’ a Shinigami and all._

Sakanade rolled her eyes and left him to his own devices.

 

* * *

 

Shinji spent his days at school getting to know Mizuiro better and having the kid actually open up to him slowly, being constantly pestered by Keigo and his wild personality, and joking and laughing with Tatsuki (and occasionally Orihime). Every lunch, he’d sit on the roof with Lisa, Mashiro, Hiyori, and Ishida, who seemed to have lost any prior apprehension to associating with the Vizard (“You are _ex-_ Shinigami after all, not current ones, which is acceptable, if barely.”) Shinji didn’t have to worry very much about interacting with Ichigo or the Kuchiki girl, although he was constantly observing them, because they were so preoccupied with other matters that they hardly had time to focus on any of their classmates, let alone the Vizard (who were greatly aided in hiding by Kisuke’s bracelets).

As predicted, the pair did not rely on spirit ribbons (this was assumed from the lack of confrontation by the Shinigami), because such a method was decidedly old-school (reiterated the Vizard, much to Ishida’s chagrin). The Vizard relaxed, until Ishida stupidly (at least in their opinion) revealed he was a Quincy to Ichigo and Kuchiki, because he had reached the end of his patience with the Shinigami. Shinji and Lisa had tried to keep his antagonistic and self-destructive feelings at bay, but even they could only do so much when Ishida was hell-bent on vengeance upon “true” Shinigami. Despite his admission of being a Quincy, Ishida hadn’t explained the truth about the Vizard and had even lied about seeing Ichigo run around in his Shinigami garb as the reason he knew the truth about Ichigo and Kuchiki’s relationship, rather than pointing out what color his soul ribbon was. The Vizard (all of them, not just the half that attended school) were grateful that Ishida kept his word, even if they were mildly disappointed he hadn’t been able to control his emotions better, especially when his little outburst resulted in the appearance of a Menos.

At the same time, Inoue Orihime and Yasutora Sado (called Chad for some reason) manifested strange powers that could combat Hollows, which was startling, but again, not necessarily threatening.

Shinji and Hiyori gave Ishida a verbal beat-down the moment all of the Hollows were eradicated, and Ishida had admitted he had been a bit rash in his approach - in response, Hiyori kicked him in the shin and called him an idiot.

But it seemed like the unstable calm had settled and the Vizard felt like they could finally breathe again, letting out a breath they hadn’t even realized they had been holding in.

But nothing in life comes easily.

Some time later, Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji, captain and vice-captain of the 6th Division respectively, came to collect the criminal, Kuchiki Rukia.

Ichigo tried to save her, was completely overpowered by the Shinigami, and was left bleeding out to die in the rain.

But he was saved by one Urahara Kisuke, who healed him and promised to train him so that he could once again access his (innate) Shinigami powers in order to rescue Kuchiki Rukia.

Urahara Kisuke, who exposed fifteen-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo to Hollowification in the name of regaining Shinigami powers.

Urahara Kisuke, who seemed to have had planned for this particular sequence of events and had anticipated Kurosaki Ichigo’s dependence on Hollowification to continue fighting to protect, as he so desperately wanted to do.

Urahara Kisuke, who was going to die because Shinji was furious, outraged (his sclera blackening and the beginnings of a Cero forming against his knuckles, Sakanade curled tightly in his fist), that Urahara Kisuke had so easily played with the life of a _child_ in order to accomplish what he perceived as the greater good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to pick up the pace because I didn't want to be just writing chapters upon chapters of the Vizard just goofing off at school basically lol figured it would be nice for them to actually have a relationship with Ichigo soon!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading :-) hope you liked it!


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